By Staff
Nick Johnston, Sports Editor
There's no doubt he heard the boos.
When his name was announced, students didn't hold back. All the boos were directed at Samuel Massey.
Massey transferred from Brewer to Hartselle two years ago and sat out last year. And the Patriot fans greeted him with a not-so-welcome-home ovation.
Massey responded with 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting. He hit 4 of 5 from beyond the three-point line.
"I'm real proud of him," head coach Johnny Berry said. "It was an emotional game for him, and he handled everything very well."
Massey has helped the Tigers out to a 2-1 record and a 1-0 mark in Area 15 play. Massey is shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 54.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Yet, his free throw shooting is just 42.9 percent.
"I don't know why that is," Berry said of Massey shooting better from three-point land than from the charity stripe. "But, he's really zeroed in right now, and he grew up a lot last Friday night against Brewer."
Other leaders for the Tigers are Keith Rodgers and Eric Norwood.
Rodgers is averaging 15.3 points per game and pulls down seven rebounds per contest. Norwood is averaging 10.3 points per game.
Adams not down about 1-3 record…
Hartselle head coach Greg Adams was expecting this.
He and his young Hartselle Lady Tigers have been on the road in hostile environments all season, like Austin, Decatur and Brewer.
"Starting out on the road like we have, it's been really unfair to these freshman," Adams said. "But, we just have to keep going. We have to cut down on turnovers and just get better with every game."
Foul trouble has caused a lot of problems so far, as Lauren Drake has fouled out of two games, as has Mary Virginia Reeves.
As far as leaders go, Shan Jones is averaging 12.5 points per game and six rebounds per contest to lead the Lady Tigers.
Drake is averaging a double-double with 10.5 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per outing. She's also second on the team steals and assists.
Jessica Lindsey, the lone senior on the team, averages eight points per contest, four rebounds and two steals, while Britney Jackson is averaging 5.8 points per game.