By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Grambling vs. Southern in any sport gets intense immediately after schedules are posted.
Saturday’s Tigers-Jaguars basketball doubleheader at the Fred Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling will have plenty of spice.
Former Centenary head coach and Northwestern State assistant Kevin Johnson is now the bench boss at Southern, where Captain Shreve and NSU great Roman Banks is the veteran AD (and former head coach). The Jags are 9-8 overall and like the Tigers, 3-1 in the SWAC.
The women’s contest, tipping at noon, also matches a pair of teams with 3-1 conference records.
Winners will remain among the SWAC leaders.
Four miles east at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters line up Saturday at 2 for the first time against new Conference USA member Jacksonville State (6-9, 1-2). The winner will rise to .500 in the league standings.
Quick glances at our local NCAA Division I college hoop squads:
MEN
Louisiana Tech: 12-6 overall, 2-1 in Conference USA
Daniel Batcho was expected to be a key addition for the Bulldogs and it showed last week. The 6-8 transfer from Texas Tech, where he started 17 games a year ago, was the CUSA Player of the Week after averaging 18.5 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in wins at Middle Tennessee and at home over Liberty. A native of Paris (France, not Texas) leads CUSA and is top 20 nationally in rebounds (10.2 pg) and blocks (2.25), and also is best in the league in shooting aim (56.6 percent).
NEXT – Saturday, at Jacksonville State, 4:00; next Thursday, home vs. UTEP, 6:00
Grambling: 6-11 overall, 3-1 in Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Tigers thoroughly enjoyed last weekend’s Florida swing, missing the worst of our winter blast as they notched victories at Bethune-Cookman (79-69) in Daytona Beach last Saturday and in Tallahassee at Florida A&M (65-62) Monday night. Junior guard Kintavious Dozier led with two-game averages of 24 points and 61.5 percent (16-26) shooting aim and earned the SWAC Impact Player of the Week award. Earlier this season, he won the SWAC Player of the Week honor. Dozier, a 6-1 Gasden State (Ala.) CC transfer, tops Grambling with his 14.9 scoring average and hits 49 percent of his shots.
NEXT – Saturday, home vs. Southern, 2:30; won’t play again until next Saturday at home vs. Miss. Valley
Northwestern State: 4-13 overall, 2-2 in Southland Conference
The Demons played league-unbeaten McNeese tough, then stacked up a couple of homecourt wins over two SLC foes trying to fight upward from the cellar, blasting UIW 97-71 with a 59-point second half, and building a big lead before having to hold off Houston Christian 69-64 Monday afternoon in Prather Coliseum. With their first hefty dose of confidence under first-year coach Rick Cabrera, they’re on the road against two of the better teams early in league play this weekend.
NEXT – Saturday, at UNO, 4:00; Monday, at Southeastern La., 6:00
WOMEN
Louisiana Tech: 7-11 overall, 1-2 in CUSA
The Lady Techsters dropped both league games last week, a 64-61 overtime loss at Middle Tennessee (13-4 overall, 3-0 in CUSA) and a 66-59 homecourt defeat by Liberty, which is just 6-13 overall, 1-3 in conference. Six of the nine CUSA teams already have two league losses while Middle, Florida International and Western Kentucky are a combined 10-1 early in the race.
NEXT – Saturday, home vs. Jacksonville State, 2:00; next Thursday, at UTEP, 8:00.
Grambling: 9-6 overall, 3-1 in SWAC
It was a hard-earned Sunshine State sweep for the Lady Tigers, 63-62 at Bethune-Cookman and 88-85 at FAMU, last weekend. Neither team scored in the final 1:25 in the nailbiter at Daytona Beach, and the FAMU contest went triple overtime. Two Lady Rattler free throws with three seconds to go in the first OT extended the contest. Grambling scored the last seven points in the third extra period to win.
NEXT – Saturday, home vs. Southern, noon; won’t play again until next Saturday, home vs. Miss. Valley
Northwestern State: 6-13 overall, 2-3 in SLC
The Lady Demons dipped to 1-8 on the road Thursday night when they were outscored 12-5 in the last five minutes at preseason conference favorite Southeastern Louisiana and fell 55-48. They’re on the road for their next two, then face league leader Texas A&M-Commerce at home next Saturday.
NEXT – Saturday, at UNO, 2:00; next Thursday, at McNeese, 7:00
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com