The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 251, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 29, 2019 Page: 5 of 30
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Sports
Uhe Maptoln Sun 5A
Sterling girls: A year wiser, stronger, hungrier
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Baytown Sun photo by Alan Dale
SPORTS BRIEF
of steam
y
*
many more everywhere as no angle the intennission up 42-19.
SPORTS CALENDAR
at the rim was off limits for the point
cions Johnson’s 14 points and Bailee guard.
“It was my teammates setting Jordan free throws late to break a
St. Romain’s 13 points.
Titans’ Henry will play against Texans
4
4
Eagles
runout
Late rally comes up
short vs. Kingwood
Sterling within 25-15, but then Bar-
bers Hill’s Rachel Sarlls ripped a trey
of her own, Carter continued her at-
tacking way and the hosts rolled into
Sterling beat Grand Oaks, 49-47
in the first round on two Aaliyah
Sunday
December 29, 2019
BY TERESAM. WALKER
AP Pro Football Writer
lead.
Then came Carter. If it wasn’t
a layup here, it was one there and
Serena named top
female athlete
BY HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer
BY ALAN BALE
alan.dale@baytownsun.com
BY ALAN BALE
alan.dale@baytownsun.com
i*
THURSDAY
Boys Soccer
BH, Crosby at PN-G
Tournament
Girls Soccer
GCM at Elsik, 1:15 p.m.
BH at Waller Tournament
FRIDAY
Boys Basketball
REL at GCM, 1:30
Crosby at Galena Park,
1:30
Beaumont United at RSS, 7
BH at PAM, 7
Girls Basketball
PAM at BH, 1:30
GCM at REL, 4
Galena Park at Crosby, 4
RSS at Beaumont United, 7
Boys Soccer
Porter at REL, 7:30
BH, Crosby at PN-G
Tournament
Girls Soccer
Pasadena at GCM, 5:30
RSS at Dayton, 7
BH at Waller Tournament
SATURDAY
Boys Soccer
BH, Crosby at PN-G
Tournament
Girls Soccer
BH at Waller Tournament
An offensive clinic
BY ALAN DALE -
alan.dale@baytownsun.com
“We are running our team offense the net to push the hosts to a 13-7
A
m
entire starting midfield The Sterling High School girls soccer team along with Isabel De La Rosa, right, have come
field.
Neidra Rodriguez and
Naomi De Jesus are back
on defense and goalkeeper
Veronica Mares and defen-
sive midfield/forward Kelli
Dodson return to the scene.
“We are communicating
The tenu freshman phenom took
on a Barbers Hill tone Friday night.
Freshman Dalanna Carter showed
those in attendance for the Gulf
Classic quarterfinal at Barbers Hill
between the hosts and Sterling High
School why she deservedly is con-
sidered one of the top players in her
class anywhere.
Carter scored 21 points in the first
half and 34 for tire game, mostly via
a variety of scoring forays to the rim
and tire Lady Eagles beat Sterling
82-49.
Barbers Hill (18-3) also got 14
points from Jaelin Holden.
The Lady Eagles advanced to tire
title game Saturday night against
Pearland with a 56-38 win over
Klein Oak behind 38 points from
Carter.
“Dalanna is a very good player
and she is really dynamic," Barbers
Hill head coach Bryan Harris said.
“She can shoot it, she can attack go-
ing left or right. She is going to be a
pretty special player. We don’t try to
restrict her, so when she has that lane
she knows to attack that gap.
“We also want her to make sure
she understands team basketball -
which she does. She had about four
or five assists tonight.”
One thing tire Lady Eagles ex-
celled at was forcing Sterling’s de-
fense to have to decide on help de-
fense or stay with its assignments as
Barbers Hill’s off ball movement led
to other challenges.
team coming in here. A team that’s
tough, physical and very-well
coached. We’re going to have to
play very well to have a chance to
win the game.”
Tennessee’ has tried to not to
press Henry too much during prac-
tice.
“We all understand that the
real test is at the game when the
speeds certainly go up for every
player,” Vrabel said. “I think we
try to monitor what they do during
practice, but then you also see the
speed of every player in every po-
sition increase.”
Notes: WR Corey Davis (con-
cussion protocol) practiced ful-
ly Thursday after being limited
earlier. ... CB Adoree’ Jackson
(foot) did not practice along with
WRs Adam Humphries (ankle)
and Kalif Raymond (concussion
protocol). ... DL Jeffery Simmons
(knee) practiced fully along with
LB Daren Bates (shoulder).
really well: We got screen and rolls
and backdoor cuts going and our
bigs are hitting threes,” Harris said.
“We still have a lot of work to do.”
Sterling (12-8) was led by Pre-
MONT BELVIEU - Bar-
bers Hill boys basketball
hoped to make a finishing
statement to the 2019 portion
of the current season with a
strong performance at their
own Gulf Coast Classic this
weekend.
Kingwood had other ideas
and behind a more physical
roster and an approach that
did not allow the host Eagles
to create a consistent tempo
in their favor, the visitors
rolled to a 60-49 pool play
win that knocked the hosts
from championship conten-
tion.
Mason Daniels led Bar-
bers Hill with 11 points
while Devin Figueroa added
nine points.
“They outplayed us,” Bar-
bers Hill head coach Chris
Pennington said. “We turned
then over several times and
got them out of their game
plan, but we had to get out of
our game plan to do it. Both
teams are very similar, but
when we have to press and
run and make it hully gully,
we aren’t very good at that.”
The Eagles (15-5) were to
play Cy Springs in the Sil-
ver Bracket final Saturday
afternoon after a 71-56 win
over Channieview Saturday
morning.
SEE EAGLES • PAGE 6A
There are a lot of high
hopes for the Sterling Lady
Rangers soccer team and
why not?
A majority of the roster
returns from a team that
won one match all season
and went 1-13 in District
21-6A play with a relative-
ly young roster.
Second-year head coach
Clyde Messiah comes into
a campaign that promises
to see marked improve-
ment with a number of
girls coming back in better
physical shape and hungri-
er following a rough outing
a year ago.
“Our attacking phase of
the game is looking very
good compared to last
year,” Messiah said. “Our
“We just didn’t capitalize on what screens and being where they are tie. Barbers Hill routed Sharpstown
we need to capitalize on and we supposed to be,” Cater said. “My 65-21 to set up the matchup.
La Rosa back at forward place teams from last year
after sitting out the previ- have new head coaches,
ous campaign with a knee three teams fought close-
injury. ly for the fourth spot and
“She is an excellent at- we played well fairly well
tacking player and one of against those teams," Mes-
from last year is back and back feeling more confident about the upcoming season after a lot of offseason work,
they’ve learned how to
play well together We’re Our defense could use Seven starters return this
also better equipped at the a little more work. Out of season including Allison
forward position this year our back five, we are only Reyes - who scored both
- I had to play a defensive returning two players.” goals in a 2-1 win over
midfield last year due to That will be also key Robert E. Lee in a Dec. 13
team needs and the other since Sterling defense was scrimmage - Nicole Her-
missed the season due to the team’s strong point in rera and Myrka Perez who
injury. 2019. compose the center mid-
way better with each other messed with our heads, but
and we are bonded better this year we are a lot more
this year,” Dodson said, confident and we are better
“We didn’t read other that physically.
well and now we know “We had a full offseason
each other’s skills better, with our coach and that’s
I’ve seen that improve a helped us a lot.”
lot this year especially with The district won’t be
the forwards and tire mid- an easy one to navigate
field. From the scrimmage, through to get a playoff
I feel like we have definite- spot, but the Lady Rang-
ly improved.” ers do feel optimistic com-
Messiah also has a prom- pared to last year’s results.
ising returnee, Isabel De “The second and third-
Barbers Hill and Jazlyn Marcus, 15, rolled past Baytown Sterling and Precious
Johnson during an 82-49 quarterfinal win at the Gulf Coast Classic in Mont
Belvieu Friday night. (Photo by Kim Keefer)
didn’t defend well,” Sterling head teammates have welcomed me in
coach Monique Everett said. “We and that made it easier. If I go down,
just help tire helper and we didn’t they pick me up.”
communicate well and weren’t Barbers Hill led 23-10 after the
aware of where tire ball was.” first quarter after a blistering 18-5
Sterling kept things tight in tire run.
first quarter before Holden let fly Sterling’s Ariel Kettle hit a three
two treys that found the bottom of early in tire second quarter to pull
in rushing and is tied for third in Henry’s left hamstring had been
the league with 13 rushing touch- bothering him for the past few
downs. The Titans are hoping he weeks. He ran for 103 yards and
can secure tire franchise’s second two touchdowns on Dec. 8 in a
playoff berth in three seasons and 42-21 win in Oakland despite ob-
second since tire 2008 season. viously being limited by the ham-
Henry practiced fully Thurs- string. His longest run went for 24
day, and coach Mike Vrabel said yards with Henry running slower
the running back looked great in than he can.
Tuesday’s session before taking With Henry not 100%, the Ti-
Wednesday off for Christmas. tans made the strategic decision to
“Anytime you got time to rest, it rest Henry — and still benefitted
always helps a lot,” Henry said of when Pittsburgh’s loss to the New
getting a day off. York Jets put tire Titans in position
The 2015 Heisman Trophy win- Sunday to clinch a playoff berth
ner had said he would play even with a win against Houston (10-5).
if his leg was hanging off. Asked “I’m rested, I’m supposed to be
about sitting out against the Saints, ready,” Henry said.
Henry inquired what Vrabel said Houston coach Bill O’Brien
about it. The coach said after tire certainly expects Henry to play,
loss to New Orleans that it was an though he didn’t have any expecta-
organizational decision to keep tions of what that might look like.
Henry out of the lineup. “We’re going to prepare like
After hearing the coach’s re- he’s going to play,” O’Brien said.
spouse, Henry said Thursday, “Again, our expectation is that
“That’s what it was.” we’ve got a really good football
Serena Williams dom-
inated the decade, on the
court and in conversation.
There were, to begin
with, the dozen Grand
Slam single titles — no
other woman had more
than three over the past 10
seasons — and the 3 1/2
years in a row at No. 1 in
the WTA rankings.
And then there was the
celebrity status that tran-
scended tennis, making
everything she did and
said newsworthy, wheth-
er it was the triumphs and
trophies and fashion state-
ments or the disputes with
tournament officials, the
magazine covers or the
Super Bowl ad with a mes-
sage about women’s pow-
er, the birth of her daugh-
ter or the health scare that
followed.
Still winning matches
and reaching Grand Slam
finals into her late 30s, still
mattering as much as ever,
Williams was selected by
The Associated Press as
the Female Athlete of the
Decade on Saturday after a
vote by AP member sports
editors and AP beat writ-
ers.
The AP Male Athlete
of the Decade will be an-
nounced Sunday.
KT:u
our senior co-captains,” siah said. “So nothing is
Messiah said. out of the question this
She will be joined by year.”
other top newcomers cen- The key has been ac-
terback Sara Morales, de- countability and according
fensive midfielder Yarerzi to De La Rosa, these Lady
Trejo and forward Story Rangers have no trouble in
Valdorinos. that department.
“We’ve been together “Last year we were
for two years now so we afraid to step on each oth-
know how we each play ers’ toes and critique each
and where to place the ball other,” she said. “But now
so that will help us a lot,” that we have known each
De La Rosa said. “We have other so well, we can and
better chemistry and last we are not afraid because
year was rough because we we know we are just help-
had a lot of injuries. That ing each other.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pro
Bowl running back Derrick Hen-
ry makes it very clear he will play
Sunday against the Houston Tex-
ans with a playoff berth on the line
for the Tennessee Titans.
“I love football,” Henry said
Thursday. “I love playing tire
game, so I’m definitely ready.”
The Titans (8-7) downgraded
Henry to questionable just before
Houston clinched the AFC South
with a win last weekend in Tampa
Bay, then deactivated Henry in a
38-28 loss to New Orleans a day
later. The Titans still ran for 149
yards with a group effort.
But Henry just earned his first
Pro Bowl berth by running for
1,329 yards this season.
Even with being given a game
off to rest a sore left hamstring,
Henry still ranks third in the NFL
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Bloom, David. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 251, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 29, 2019, newspaper, December 29, 2019; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1467980/m1/5/: accessed May 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.