Sports Update
Time to reflect: McKinney rests, waits for season's second half
By Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
After completing the first half of their 2012-13 basketball season with a strong 11-4 mark, the McKinney Lions will try to battle through any prolonged rust as they must wait two weeks until their next game.
"We're working hard this week to try and keep our conditioning up," said Wes Watson, McKinney head coach. "We have to try and stimulate real game situations and keep our routine going. The emphasis right now is to correct mistakes and maintain our conditioning."
Watson is pleased with how well the team has progressed this season.
"I felt like we were going to be really good this year," he said. "We have a team that's more athletic across the board than we've ever been while I've been at McKinney High. That's allowed us to play really fast, force turnovers and maximize our kids' skill sets. It's been good, but I think we can still improve."
There aren't too many basketball teams that have had a season like the Lions are having right now. Their only four losses in 15 games are all by three points or less.
"Our losses have been really close," Watson said. "It just so happens that they've gone down to the wire. If you change just one possession throughout any point in those games, if you correct that one mistake, it changes the outcome."
The one area that has troubled the Lions the most this year has been ball control.
"We've had some turnovers that have hurt us at key points," Watson said. "Our mistakes have largely been self-inflicted. We try to do a little too much, try to make some risky passes or take bad shots. We have to clear that up."
Senior post Raynell Denny has been a powerful force on the court for the Lions. His contributions include regular performances of 10 or more rebounds, including a 35-point, 22-rebound and seven-block effort against Bryan on Nov. 30
"Raynell stands out," Watson said. "Some of the things he's done have been pretty impressive to say the least. I can count on maybe two fingers how many games where he hasn't had double-digit rebounds."
Guards Jonathan "Red" Shannon, Connor Fuentes and Remington Edwards have also been integral to the team's success.
"Red's been Red," Watson said. "He's always going to create things defensively for us. And Connor is picking up where he left off last season and Remy has had some great games for us, too. He's been a pretty big part of our success."
McKinney returns to action Dec. 28 in the Avery Air Invitational. They'll do so with a strengthened resolve after their last game, a Dec. 14 upset loss to Richardson Pearce.
Pearce was 4-7 heading into the game against the then 11-3 Lions. Pearce outscored McKinney 13-8 in the fourth quarter to come from behind and steal the win, 59-56.
"Those games are pretty revealing," Watson said. "They show us some things that we take for granted. It was probably a good wakeup call for us. If you don't bring your best, there's a good chance you'll get beat. It gave us an important outlook moving forward."
"We're working hard this week to try and keep our conditioning up," said Wes Watson, McKinney head coach. "We have to try and stimulate real game situations and keep our routine going. The emphasis right now is to correct mistakes and maintain our conditioning."
Watson is pleased with how well the team has progressed this season.
"I felt like we were going to be really good this year," he said. "We have a team that's more athletic across the board than we've ever been while I've been at McKinney High. That's allowed us to play really fast, force turnovers and maximize our kids' skill sets. It's been good, but I think we can still improve."
There aren't too many basketball teams that have had a season like the Lions are having right now. Their only four losses in 15 games are all by three points or less.
"Our losses have been really close," Watson said. "It just so happens that they've gone down to the wire. If you change just one possession throughout any point in those games, if you correct that one mistake, it changes the outcome."
The one area that has troubled the Lions the most this year has been ball control.
"We've had some turnovers that have hurt us at key points," Watson said. "Our mistakes have largely been self-inflicted. We try to do a little too much, try to make some risky passes or take bad shots. We have to clear that up."
Senior post Raynell Denny has been a powerful force on the court for the Lions. His contributions include regular performances of 10 or more rebounds, including a 35-point, 22-rebound and seven-block effort against Bryan on Nov. 30
"Raynell stands out," Watson said. "Some of the things he's done have been pretty impressive to say the least. I can count on maybe two fingers how many games where he hasn't had double-digit rebounds."
Guards Jonathan "Red" Shannon, Connor Fuentes and Remington Edwards have also been integral to the team's success.
"Red's been Red," Watson said. "He's always going to create things defensively for us. And Connor is picking up where he left off last season and Remy has had some great games for us, too. He's been a pretty big part of our success."
McKinney returns to action Dec. 28 in the Avery Air Invitational. They'll do so with a strengthened resolve after their last game, a Dec. 14 upset loss to Richardson Pearce.
Pearce was 4-7 heading into the game against the then 11-3 Lions. Pearce outscored McKinney 13-8 in the fourth quarter to come from behind and steal the win, 59-56.
"Those games are pretty revealing," Watson said. "They show us some things that we take for granted. It was probably a good wakeup call for us. If you don't bring your best, there's a good chance you'll get beat. It gave us an important outlook moving forward."
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News