Published: December 01, 2008 11:51 pm      

Bulldogs ready for home opener

With full squad for first time this season, New Waverly eager for Montgomery

After seeing the football season coming to an end, the Bulldogs now shift focus to basketball, mainly because New Waverly will now have six of its main contributers, including five starters back in today’s home opener against Class 4A Montgomery.

“It’s that season,” New Waverly boys basketball coach Bill Goffney said. “There’s a lot to be excited about. We have a region title to defend and a state tournament that we’re trying to get back to.

“Getting the starters back makes all the difference in the world. We were kind of limited not having our starting five in our season opener. The experience those guys bring in helps out a great deal.”

The Bulldogs held a practice with a full squad for the first time on Monday.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of coaching going on,” Goffney admitted. “I even had to slow it down a little because they came in with so much energy. I was really impressed with the way they came in. They were going 100 miles per hour.

“When I saw them in the gym, it was hard for me not to grin. Having the first five out there was kind of like having the rim lowered to nine feet. They were attacking the rim and dunking on each other.”

The Bulldogs, who went undefeated at home last season, will face a challenging, but familiar foe in Montgomery today. Last season, New Waverly met up with Montgomery twice. The Bulldogs won 78-68 in Montgomery, but then lost to the Bears 11 days later 49-47 in the Montgomery tournament.

“I think we’ve developed a little bit of a rivalry with Montgomery, especially among our fans,” Goffney said. “Our fans get heated up and try to be louder than Montgomery’s fans. Our people are definitely looking forward to it.”

After having its best season to date, advancing all the way to the state tournament, the high-flying Bulldogs have no intentions of slowing down. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.