Getting back to .500, the Labette Cardinals men ousted Ottawa JV, 93-74, on Wednesday night.
Labette led by as much as 30 in the first half before Ottawa JV pulled within 14 in the second half.
“We came out excellently but we fell in love with the shots we were making,” Labette head coach Jason Hinson said. “We’ve got to eat our vegetables. But we got a sugar high on dessert and we started to try and live on that. We put in some new rotations, and for the most part I was happy. I’m glad we got the win, but I can still harp on them.”
Christian Smith led Labette with 28 points on 11of-18 shooting while adding four assists and five rebounds to his night’s workload.
“He’s really come on,” Hinson said. “He stepped into our lineup and has had some huge weekends. His confidence is propelled. He takes some shots I don’t love, but he has the green light because he plays so hard. It’s good we have options to go score and get a bucket. He’s playing really well for us.”
Labette spent the night emptying the bench, with every dressed player playing at least five-and-a-half minutes with 10 playing 10 or more.
“I want them to do the right things. If they don’t, they’re coming out,” Hinson said. “The good thing is they’ll be able to go back in when the other guy messes up.”
Jessie Warner Jr. led Ottawa JV with 16 points.
“We got to really see some changes be made defensively,” Hinson said. “These JVs are bringing varsity guys. They’re not normal JVs. These teams help us.”
Labette shot 41% from the field and 37.5% from deep.
The win improved Labette’s record to 7-7 overall.
Up next
Labette heads south to face NOC-Tonkawa on Friday.
“It’s another test for us and a chance to get a quality win,” Hinson said. “We have to learn how to win against a good team. We know we’ll have to do that in conference play. Our guys want to get that win.”
