Cathell Continues his Wrestling Success

Delaware State meet redshirt sophomore Matt Cathell, a Caesar Rodney graduate from Camden, Delaware with talents that you can not find any mid-major college.

Cathell has help the wrestling program get back on track by helping the Hornets registered three wins. That's like winning two in ten years combine. During his freshman year, he had best record individual 29-6 record and competed in the NCAA National Championship.

Currently at 11-0 and ranked eighth in the national, he could be on his way to bring the future of the Hornets wrestling team to the promise land and bringing NCAA competition to all comers.

Hornet Men win Monday games but not Saturday games

Okay, called me silly or down right loco but have anyone noticed that the Delaware State men's basketball team win only Monday games but not on Saturdays in the MEAC conference? What's the reason behind the hornets struggles on Saturdays?

Let's recap the Saturday games the Hornets played in the MEAC conference so far:

January 10: The Hornets got outplayed at the hands of South Carolina State at Home 69-52

January 17: Hornets defense couldn't contain the hot shooting of Norfolk State on the road 72-61

January 24: Hornets let a 12 point evaporate in the final 12 minutes in a lost to Bethune-Cookman that left Delaware State fans at Memorial Hall stunned.

Now here is the recap the Monday games the Hornets played in the MEAC conference:

January 12: Delaware State snap a five game losing streak with a win over Winston-Salem State

January 19: Fred Bowie set career high in points as DSU end a very long losing trip against the toughest places to win at North Carolina A&T.

January 26: The Hornets defense escape win a win over Florida A&M at home despite both teams missing a lot of free throws.

During the loses in Saturday games DSU is only averaging 56.3 points a game and wins on Mondays the Hornets average 71.6 points a game.

One of the reasons why is the inconstancy of team's chemistry of what Head Coach Greg Jackson is trying to tell his team.

Second, the hornets are rank seventh in the MEAC in free throw shooting at 62 percent

Third, who is the Hornets go to guy down the stretch? Last year was Roy Bright, 2005-2007 was Jashula Blunnt.

Fourth, Arturo DuBois and the rest of the Hornet big men needs to stay out of foul trouble and dominate the paint.

Jameka Smith: The All-Time Lady Hornets Steals Leader

Congratulations to senior guard Jameka Smith for becoming the All-Time Lady Hornets Steals leader with 274 career steals.

During the lady hornets 54-41 victory over Bethune-Cookman, Jameka was guarding any Bethune-Cookman player on most possessions while trying reach to steal the basketball. She was trying so hard to reach the ball, the referees didn't either blow their whistles to call a reach in foul.

Luckily, I had to keep track of record since December when the Lady Hornets where playing their non-conference schedule.

The game continued on in the second half until a timeout was called and Hornets announcer Ralph Wesley inform the fans that Jameka Smith passed the great Alfreda Johnson to become the Lady Hornets steals All-Time steals leader. Jameka finish the game with five steals.

Jameka's mom and her sister were in attendance to witness history in the making.

When they were about to be interviewed by Jonathan Elam, Jameka's mom was jumping for joy and was proud of her daughter's accomplishments after listening to the announcement.

During my five years of watching Jameka play basketball, The lady hornets have the most dominating defense in the MEAC conference and ranked the top 10 in the nation against opponents since 2002. Her game improve so much every game, every year. Sometimes she will have good games, and sometimes bad games. But with her defensive presence is felt, she looks unstoppable.

At Last a Hornet Win on the Road

Monday, I was able find a radio and listen to the second half of the men's Hornets/Aggies basketball game from most craziest environment in the MEAC conference: The Dawg Pound. During second half of the game there were a few different things that I never heard before during the game:

• The North Carolina A&T crowd of the The Dawg Pound were not even as loud as I predicted.
• Delaware State were playing without Donald Johnson due to academic troubles? On Saturday I heard the Hornets/Norfolk State game and according to Hornet's broadcaster Scott Klatzin, Johnson was feeling ill and didn't make the road trip.
• Fred Bouie scored a career high 22 points (8-15 from the field, 4-7 from three point land)
  
• Delaware State was not a very good shot blocking team but achieve 10 block shots (half were lead by Frisco Sandidge).
• The Aggies grabbed a team high 21 offensive rebounds, but failed to scored some second chance points.
• 10 fast break points for the hornets but only 4 for the Aggies.
• Three hornet players played more than 30 minutes (Trevor Welchor, Sandidge, and Bouie), and three play for more than 20 minutes (Kris Douse, Arturo DuBois, and Marcus Neal)
  

After all the strangeness that occurred during the game, I'm happy that DSU was able to finish the game with a road win snapping a 13 game road losing streak.

The hornets put on a shooting clinic shooting 56 percent from the floor and forcing the Aggies to foul the Hornets as DSU went to the free throw 15 times (making 10) in the second half.

Coach Greg Jackson said it best to reporters, the Hornets played one of their best performances of the season with execution, intensity on both ends of the floor, and didn't allow A&T to get in transition.

The Hornets are glad to come home for a four game home stand starting Saturday with tough testes with Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M (Monday), Coppin State (January 31), and Morgan State (February 2).

Coach Jackson currently has 299 wins but needs just one win to get 300 wins. If the Hornets achieve that goal this Saturday it will quickly take a lot of pressure off the Hornets team about flirting with history.

A Tale of Two Halves as the Lady Hornets lost the game and their winning streak

Monday was a day of hope for the Lady Hornets basketball team as they tried to avenge last season losses at the hands of North Carolina A&T (MEAC Regular Season Champions 2008) in the first of their two meetings of the season on Martin Luther King Day and on the eve of Inauguration.

In the first half, the lady hornets got off to a hot start shooting 48 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free throw line. The lady aggies started the game well with a 7-2 lead but the lady hornets catch up quickly to gain their first lead with 11:57 left. Lady Hornets aggressive defense forced the lady aggies to shot just 36 percent and and only 44 percent from the free throw line. Coach Ed Davis must be proud of his lady hornets heading into the locker room 32-24 at halftime.

The second half was a fast start for the lady hornets as they went on a 13-6 run to maintain their big lead. It looked liked the lady hornets was going to win their fifth win in a row. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst as the lady hornets could not buy a bucket by missing shots, turning over the basketball, and worst than that their defensive shield went from a brick wall to a door of opportunities resulting in a 14-2 run lady aggie run.

Ed Davis and the lady hornets were scratching their heads about the lead they once held evaporate so quickly.

Suddenly the lady aggies proved to the lady hornets why they were the defending MEAC regular season champions by making key buckets down the stretch, forcing the lady hornets turnovers, making lady hornets shoot bad shots (32 percent in the 2nd Half), and hitting throws when it counts.

The lady hornets still could not find a good three point shooter during the second half as they shot a dismantle 1 for 10 from downtown.

Even though they couldn't get into first place in the standings, the lady hornets are still on impressive start in the MEAC 7-10 overall 4-1 in conference play.

The lady hornets have the defense to stop their opponents but what about the offense. The lady hornets can't rely on Sonia Johnson every game for offensive. They need Jamkea Smith, Keyanna Wakefield, Selena Galloway, and others to pick up the offense to score points or they will be stuck in a offensive crisis.

The lady hornets needs to work harder on offense when they play four straight home games starting with Bethune-Cookman (Saturday), Florida A&M (Monday), Coppin State (January 31), and Morgan State (February 2).