Basketball "Battle of Piney Woods" spans 85 seasons
1/7/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Athletics
One of the oldest rivalries in Texas college basketball sees its 181st renewal Saturday when Sam Houston State plays host to Stephen F. Austin in the basketball version of the "Battle of the Piney Woods."
The series has an 85-year history that includes thrilling down-to-the-wire battles with last second heroics.
This year's contest is expected to be no different as the 2 p.m. game at Sam Houston's Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum matches the Southland Conference's two defending 2008 Division Champions. The Bearkats won the West Division and the Lumberjacks the East last year.
Both are favored to win their divisions again this season. The game is so big, the Southland Conference TV network is televising the contest to a three-state regional audience.
The Lumberjacks hold a narrow 92-88 lead in the series that began in 1924.
Since Bob Marlin became head coach of the Bearkats in 1998-99, Sam Houston is 16-7 versus the Jacks. The Bearkats rolled off six consecutive victories over SFA from 2005 to 2008 but SFA has won the last two meetings.
Last year's game was typical of the series, ending up a 75-73 victory for the Jacks at William R. Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches. But the Kats had a chance to tie the game with seven seconds remaining but missed a layup.
Preston Brown led Sam Houston with a career-high 22 points. Four other players scored in double figures: DeLuis Ramirez (12), Corey Allmond (11), Mitchell (10) and Pevehouse (10) also scored in double figures. The game was tied six times and had seven lead changes.
Mitchell, a first team pre-season All-Southland Conference selection as a senior, first made his mark on the league as a freshman in the 2007 SFA-SHSU showdown in Nacogdoches. His quickness and defensive ability off the bench played a big part in the Bearkats' victory as Sam Houston trailed by 10 with five minutes to play and held the Jacks scoreless for the final 4:58 to win 55-52.
One of the most memorable "Piney Woods" basketball games in recent years was just named the No. 2 "Game of the Decade" for 2000-09 Bearkat sports.
The contest was the definition of what March Madness is all about. The Bearkats hosted Stephen F. Austin at Johnson Coliseum with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. What looked like it was going to be an easy win for the Kats turned into an overtime thriller telecast to a national audience on ESPN2.
Donald Cole hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to play in the game to give the Bearkats a 69-66 victory over the Lumberjacks. A week later the Kats made their only appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as a No. 15 seed taking on Florida.
Sam Houston was won 65 of the 91 games the Kats and the Jacks have played in Huntsville. So close is the rivalry that six games in the past 31 years have been decided in overtime and nine have been decided by three points or less.
Tickets for the Sam Houston State vs. Stephen F. Austin game Saturday are on-sale now on-line at www.gobearkats.com.
As part of a new tradition to introduce the area to a great family Saturday afternoon entertainment bargain, Sam Houston offers fans the "Family Pack" which consists of four general admission tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns and four sodas - a $52 Value for just $28. A minimum of four tickets must be purchased. Additional tickets may be purchased at $7 each.
Fans can purchase a "Family Pack" in advance online at www.gobearkats.com or at Johnson Coliseum the day of the game.
The Bearkat athletic ticket office is located in the Ron Mafrige Field House in the south end zone of Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
