Bulldogs finish season
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

PUT IT UP - Kilgore's Drake Bickham (42, shown here against Hallsville) had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the finale Tuesday night against Marshall.

One day, the Kilgore High School varsity boys basketball program will break out of their several-season-long playoff slump.

But that won't be today.

The Bulldogs finished their 2007-08 season at home Tuesday night, losing to Marshall, 63-49. Kilgore (6-19 overall, 3-9 in District 12-4A play) led 8-7 in a low-scoring first quarter, but gave up 22 points in the second period, trailing 29-15 at halftime, and just couldn't catch up.

Drake Bickham, a junior, led KHS with 14 points. Corwin Rowlett, one of the seniors honored before the game, scored 10. Devaron Harvey and Xavian Sanders each scored seven, Victor Raven four, J.J. Adams three, and Michael Hardeman and Steve Smith, two each. Raven, Adams, Hardeman and Smith all join Rowlett as honored seniors.

Bickham also added 12 rebounds. Sanders had seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists, Harvey had three steals and three assists.

For the varsity, it was head coach Jimmy Williams' first season.

The junior varsity won their finale, 56-46. Kilgore got 21 points from Chris Ward, 16 from Jose Godfrey, 11 from Jacob Stossel, eight from Mishaud Austin, and two from C.J. Gary. Kilgore's JV coach is John McGilvray.

Kerry Strong coaches Kilgore's freshmen, and they won, too, 53- 48. Patrick Colbert led Kilgore with 22 points. Breon Ector had 17, and Demetrius Roberson had six. Johnathan Glover and Robert Morgan each scored three for Kilgore, and Gerald Smith had two.