BY MIKE MONTFORT
Bulldog Basketball (4-3) tries to complete a three-win week at 4 pm Saturday when it hosts Region V Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference foe Weatherford at Lewis Orr Court in The Wolens Special Events Center.
Navarro appears to be getting untracked this week, snapping a three-game losing streak Monday with an 88-49 win over Strength N Motion and an impressive 71-59 road victory Wednesday against previously unbeaten, 25th-ranked McLennan at The Highlands.
NC, playing through some early offensive deficiencies without all its personnel, delivered Wednesday at The Highlands, where it hit a season-best 55 percent from the floor (22-of-40), including 14-of-25 three-point attempts in a balanced team victory that avenged a 50-42 loss at Corsicana one week earlier.
Sophomore wing Sabry Philip hit double-figure scoring for the fifth time Wednesday by dropping 14 points from 5-of-8 shooting. The team's balance featured nine-point games from Jaylen Harrison and Justin Thomas and eight-point contributions from Terrance Thompson, Addarin Scott, Babacar Diallo and Antonee Abraham. Additionally, Navarro's strong-trending defense held opponents below 65 points for the sixth time in seven outings.
NC now averages 70 points from 44 percent shooting from the floor behind the play of Philip (12.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Thompson (10.2 and 7.1) and Thomas (10.0 and 4.6). Thompson, the team's top rebounder with 50, also leads the club with 23 blocked shots.
Coach Chris Lewis' Weatherford Coyotes bring a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game, following their 99-63 Thursday win over DFW Prep at the Graber Center. The Coyotes have scrambled back from a 1-3 start by achieving success at home in wins Saturday over Coastal Bend (77-70) and Monday over Howard (66-54).
The Coyotes, averaging 71 points from 43 percent shooting from the floor, are led by sophomore guard Dillon Bennett (13.2 ppg), and freshmen Keynan Russell (12.7) and Matthew Okoye (12.2).
On November 6 when the team first met at Weatherford, Navarro posted a 71-54 win.
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LIVE, FREE STREAMING: Navarro Sports YouTube Channel 4 pm Saturday.
