Horne, Gibson kindle Jungle Kings

Set of Seniors set the Lions standard

SAGU defeats St. Thomas, 72-55; seek tourney repeat

WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- In a game between two teams who will play again in four days, Southwestern Assemblies of God University rode the hot hands of Dominique Rambo (Dallas, Tx / Oklahoma Wesleyan Univ, Trinity Christian School) and Ronald Horne (Waco, Tx / Univ. of N. Texas, Waco HS) to a 72-55 triumph over Houston’s University of St. Thomas on Monday night at the Sheaffer Center.

Horne and Jared Gibson (Dallas, Tx / Oral Roberts Univ, Plano West HS), seniors who were honored in a pre-game ceremony, ignited the team to a rousing start by knocking down early three-point baskets. The pair that combined for 194 treys last season, connected on 5-of-7 triples as the Lions extended a 10-8 lead to 39-17 and were never headed.

With five different players firing in a 3-ball, they took a 43-23 margin into the locker room at the break.

The Celts, who entered the game having won the last four meetings with the Lions, began chipping away at the deficit as Barrett Lauer and Travis Lampley found the range. A trifecta by Adrian Morales sliced the Lions lead to 55-44 with 7:29 remaining to finish a 14-2 surge.

SAGU responded with a Caleb Feemster (Addison, Tx / Trinity Christian HS) shot from outside the arc, a steal by Duce Ward (Waco, Tx / Univ. of N. Texas, Connally HS) that he cashed in with a breakaway layup and a pair of Rambo treys – on assists from Horne and Gibson. The Jungle Kings had re-established the lead at 66-47 with 2:50 left.

In all, Southwestern drained 15 threes, with Horne and Rambo collecting four apiece. Gibson ripped the nets three times, while James Ford (Victoria, Tx / Faith Academy) and Feemster each fired in two.

Lauer and Lampley led UST with 15 and 13 respectively.

The Lions shot 45% in the first half and 44% in the second and solidified their performance by dominating the glass by a 38-21 count. Mike Nwelue (Lewisville, Tx / Lewisville HS) snatched three of the team’s 12 offensive rebounds. St. Thomas snared five.

Coach Bostwick speaks of the game, two seniors

After the game, head coach Donnie Bostwick spoke glowingly of Horne and Gibson. “They have done a lot for SAGU Basketball,” he said, “And I hope they do more,” referring to post-season action.

As for the game, he said “It was a good victory. Our seniors took control of the game early and we established our will on both ends.”

While Rambo ended with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including five assists, it was Horne and Gibson who united like "old times" in the past two seasons.

Horne took only six shots to rack up his 16 points. He swished five of the six, including 4-of-5 beyond the arc. He latched onto six rebounds and  dished out four assists in twenty-six minutes. Gibson tickled the twine on three-of-six 3-balls and distributed four helpers to boot for nine points in 27 minutes.

Neither Coach Bostwick or St. Thomas’ Todd Smith knew what to expect as they entered the game. The teams played with the knowledge they would be playing one another in Friday’s tournament opener.

(Standings and Tournament Pairings listed below)

“We took round two from St. Thomas,” Bostwick surmised. “They took round one at their place. Round three is Friday night and it should be a good one.” The quarterfinal is slated to start at 10:00pm.

“There were things that happened in the game that gives us a good reason to get back to work this week,” Bostwick added. “We all start 0-0 now. This is where it gets tough. Everyone has a great shot. Any team that taps into God for strength and honors him with their talents could surprise everyone.”

“I am very proud of Ron and Jared for hanging in there and buying in to everything I have tried to teach them,” he continued. “They have been more than respectful to me. They have let me push them and challenge them at a whole new level.”

“A lot of seniors would have caused problems when things did not go perfect at times. Instead they took responsibility for themselves. I believe they are going to finish strong in March and lead us down the stretch."

"I am so glad to see them approaching the 1000 and 1500 career point markers, but I really believe they would trade that for a great post-season run that gave them a chance to honor their king.”

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde, Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.

*Clinched berth in the RRAC tournament. Langston will not enter the tourney. Final team will be determined Wednesday night after the Paul Quinn College at St. Thomas game.