New Hope High School senior Carlos Brooks likes the “positive vibes” coming from his basketball team.
“We have the positive vibes going on,” Brooks said. “Everybody is happy out there together. Everyone is feeling good. When you have positive vibes, you can go a long way.”
Brooks scored a game-high 25 points and was one of four in double figures as New Hope rolled past Noxubee County 87-61 Tuesday night at Trojan Gym.
New Hope broke away from a 20-20 tie with an 18-3 run to start the second quarter.
“Coach encouraged us to start playing better defense,” said Thomas, a sharp-shooting junior. “Sometimes, we have a letdown on the defensive end. We really don’t need to be doing that. When we get it going on both ends of the floor, though we can be pretty good.”
Playing without its football players, Noxubee County stood no chance when New Hope did indeed get it going on both ends.
The Trojans overplayed passing lanes, forced seven turnovers and scored five baskets in transition during the game-decisive run.
The offense was coming from everywhere, too. Thomas had 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for a double-double. Toddy Jennings added 12 points and Jay Shinn added 10 points for the Trojans.
New Hope coach Drew McBrayer loosely translated “positive vibes” into “sharing the basketball.”
“The one thing this team does better than any other is share the basketball,” McBrayer said. “They are absolutely great at sharing the basketball. These guys have played together since they were 10 or 11. They have played a lot of AAU ball together. You can see that on the court. There is no selfishness. There is a chemistry you can’t teach. You hope to achieve during a season. We are already ahead there because they have been together for so long.
“Now defensively? Yes, we have to do some work there.”
As long as the points continue to flow, the defense should eventually come. In its 2-0 start, New Hope is now averaging 84.5 points per game.
“We have played together a long time,” Brooks said. “There is a comfort level out there. You can tell when we get into a rhythm. If we have more than one guy making shots, our offense can be fun. We have one of the best players in the state (Thomas) but we also have other guys who do their job and carry out their role.”
Thomas said the energy level was great from the first practice this season.
“This group has been waiting to play together on the varsity level for a long time,” Thomas said. “We really work well together. That helps us rebound better, too. We just have a sense of what everybody is going to do all the time.”
This season, Starkville and Columbus both began the season ranked in the Top 3 in the state by the Clarion-Ledger. The statewide newspaper also tabbed Thomas a preseason Dandy Dozen selection. While the others in the area are getting early notice, New Hope is striving for late-season notice.
“We can’t get caught up on what anybody else is doing,” Thomas said. “We really have to focus on our team getting better every day. This is the first time we have all been together as starters on the varsity level. We just have to keep getting better.”
Brooks echoes those sentiments. He also knows the challenges of becoming one of the best in the area.
“With so many great teams around here, every game is a battle,” Brooks said. “I think that will pay off for us in the end. Every night, we are going to get tested. There are no nights off. We will always have to play well.”
Jaqwavian Jones led Noxubee County (0-3) with 25 points.
In the opener, the New Hope girls erased an 11-point halftime deficit to take a 66-54 victory.
“Through two games, we have been a great second-half team,” New Hope coach Chad Brown said. “I hope to become a great team for four quarters. At halftime, we talked about playing at home for the first time and playing before a big crowd. I told them to go out and make a positive impact on that crowd.”
New Hope (2-0) did just that by holding Noxubee County to 22 points in game’s final half.
Lanoria Abrams led New Hope with 16 points. She was followed by Alaysha Jennings with 15 points, Alex Melton with 12 points and Jada Jamison with 10 points.
“We are playing really hard right now and I am proud of that,” Brown said. “There are some fundamental things we have to get better at right away. We also start games a little timid. I have never questioned the effort though. They have worked hard. We have already come a long way since the first couple of practices.”
Noxubee County (0-3) received 14 points from LaQuasha Clemons and nine points from Nakendria Roby.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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