Titans own first place in 21-5A following rout of Bulldogs
Published 9:58 pm Tuesday, January 21, 2020
- Kenneth Lofton Jr. of Memorial (35) pivots around Tyler Jackson of Nederland as Jackson’s teammate Hayden Hefner (2) looks on in the second quarter Tuesday in Nederland. (I.C. Murrell/The News) 1-21-20
NEDERLAND — Memorial has not lost to Nederland in boys basketball since December 2015, and after trailing by five points through one period Tuesday, the Titans refused to allow that and another streak to snap.
McDonald’s All-America candidate Kenneth Lofton Jr. sparked the Titans’ comeback and scored a game-high 20 points in a 56-39 win at the Dog Dome to take sole possession of first place in District 21-5A. The Titans (23-5, 6-0 in 21-5A) have won seven in a row over the Bulldogs (19-9, 4-1), dating back to the last school year Memorial competed in Class 6A.
More immediately, the boys from Port Arthur have won 11 in a row.
The Titans outscored the Bulldogs 14-7 in the second quarter to take a 24-22 lead into halftime, scoring six points off second-chance baskets and holding Nederland without a field goal for the final 6:36 of the half. Texas A&M signee Hayden Hefner scored all seven of the Bulldogs’ points in the period and led his team with 14 points.
Nederland tied the game at 27 with 5:35 left in the third but would not retake lead. Memorial’s half-court zone disrupted Nederland’s offense and caused another shooting drought from the floor, this one lasting nearly 6 minutes into the fourth quarter while the Titans went on a 15-0 spree to close out the frame.
Amaree Abram tallied 11 points, while Lofton’s fellow All-America candidate Nate Clover and Landin Jackson each totaled 10 points in the victory. Joseph Gipson sank 11 points for Nederland.
The Titans have an off-date Friday and will visit Barbers Hill next Tuesday. Nederland will head to Barbers Hill on Friday.
About I.C. Murrell
I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
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