Port Arthur Memorial basketball coach Kenneth Coleman knows he and his Titans made a few friends within District 21-6A Tuesday night.
Coleman’s squad bounced back from a two-game district losing streak by knocking La Porte, 81-59, after the Bulldogs came into the game previously unbeaten in league play.
“This was a huge win,” Coleman said. “Everyone in our district is a fan of Memorial tonight.”
Both teams shot the ball extremely well in the game. The Titans and Bulldogs both shot 53 percent from the floor.
The difference in this one was the 27 turnovers the Titans forced and the 36 points off those takeaways.
Memorial (8-11, 2-2) did most of its damage inside the paint. The Titans made 24 of 38 shots near the basket.
Sophomore Darion Chatman scored 21 points for the Titans while Tyryn Hinton added 20 and Reao Keller racked up 18 points.
Alex Hobbs finished with 14 for the Bulldogs. Teammate Drew Harris added 12 points while Nathan Reed finished with 10.
“It really is awesome,” Coleman said. “My kids really went out there and laid it on the line. They stuck with the game plan. I am really proud of them.”
The game plan probably was not to commit seven fouls in the game’s first 5 minutes but that is exactly what the Titans did.
La Porte (13-7, 2-1) defeated Baytown Sterling and Deer Park, the two teams Memorial fell to in district play. But the Bulldogs were not able to fully capitalize on the fouls as Memorial took an 18-11 advantage after the first period.
“I think our team was mentally strong,” Coleman said. “We just played a game in Baytown where Sterling shot 53 free throws. So, we had just come from a game like that. It was not the first time we faced this.”
La Porte’s biggest lead in the first came when it was 9-5 after two Harris free throws.
The Bulldogs held an 11-8 lead after Reed buried a shot, but it would be the last time La Porte scored in the quarter.
Memorial ended the frame on a 10-0 run.
The Titans then outscored the Bulldogs 15-12 to take a 33-23 lead into the half.
Memorial’s lead only grew larger after the third. The Titans took a 50-36 when Memorial outscored La Porte 17-13.
The Titans really blew the game out in the fourth with a 31-23 advantage.
Chatman was stellar from the field. He shot 8 for 11 from the floor and was a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line.
Memorial was 17 of 23 from the charity stripe while La Porte was 9 of 19 on free throws.
Coleman was especially thrilled with the way his bench responded to seeing extra minutes throughout the game due to the fouls.
“Our bench was awesome,” Coleman said. “We always tell them to be ready to play. Everyone one of my kids is capable of contributing. That is why they are a part of this team. So when we call their number, all we ask is for them to be there.”