Hornet high flyer Jameel Pugh had the ball and an open court in front of him.

The crowd knew what was coming, his teammates knew what was coming and even the opposing Montana Grizzlies knew what was coming.

But on the perfect stage, and only two seconds until takeoff, Pugh still wasn’t sure what was coming.

That is, he wasn’t sure what dunk from his repertoire he’d showcase.

“I was thinking about going between my legs, but I knew coach would kill me if I missed,” Pugh said. “I was thinking about sticking my elbow in the rim, but I knew coach would kill me. So I decided I would just show everyone how high I can get.”

And as he lifted off from the right wing with his right arm cocked back, eyes staring level with the rim, finishing with an emphatic dunk — he showed them exactly how high.

And brought the sellout crowd to their feet.

Still, Pugh’s fast-break highlight was only one of four dunks that brought Hornet Gym to a roar on that night.

There was also Joseth Dawson’s alley-oop pass which Pugh caught and slammed down viciously over a defender. One fan’s description: “He caught that ball above the square on the backboard!”

Then there was Joel Jones, who not only finished Saturday night with a team-high 22 points, but also took off just a step inside the free throw line on his first dunk of the night.

On Jones’ second dunk, which almost seemed to answer Pugh’s fast-break show, he palmed the ball, held it high above defenders and took off for a one-handed slam.

The dunks gave a boost to a team which had a rough conference start.

The Hornets came into weekend with a record of 1-4 — last place in the Big Sky — and desperately needed two home wins against Montana and Montana State. The Hornets had their backs against the wall.

Jumping over the wall with highlight slams, Sac State beat the Grizzlies on Saturday, 76-67, and knocked off Montana State, 77-71, on Thursday.

The Hornets also started last season 1-4 in conference as well, but managed to make a late-season run, sneak into the playoffs and upset Montana in the first round of the conference tournament.

The man that led them there, former Hornet Derek Lambeth, said the following of this year’s team: “They are peaking at the right time. No team in the Big Sky is better talent-wise as long as they can play as a team on any given night.”

Playing together didn’t come easy for the Hornets earlier in the season.

Following a preseason contest against Dominican, their second game of the season, Jones called out his teammates via the Sacramento Bee:”We’re not as good as we think we are,” Jones said. “We don’t deserve any of this, the crowd, all of it. We haven’t earned anything. … There’s selfish people on this team. Everybody wants to get theirs and forgets about the team concept. “They go in a meeting and say, ‘Yeah, it’s all about the team,’ then get selective amnesia on the floor.”

Jones then went on to say, “If this is what it takes, then I’ll say it. The truth hurts.”

Following Saturday night’s win, Jones had a different attitude.

He was smiling — talking about his teammates stepping it up and how the team was just starting to get it going and realize expectations.If one man can personify the recent resurgence of the Hornets, it is senior forward Cedric Thompkins.

After losing his starting job heading into conference play, Thompkins has come back strong, including a 22-point performance against Montana State on 10-of-11 shooting. He’s been the most productive big man for the Hornets thus far and also leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 a game during conference.

Again though, it’s been a team effort.

The improved play of true freshman Alex Bausley and sophomore Chris Lange has been huge for the Hornets’ inside game.

And lets talk about the platoon at point guard, can we?

DaShawn Freeman, E.J. Harris and James Payne are all receiving valued minutes at the point and the competitiveness at the position raises the energy on the court with every substitution.

If the Hornets can continue to resemble the type of team basketball they’ve been displaying of late, this team has to be thought of us as top contenders in the Big Sky.

The Florida Marlins started rough before they made their run to a World Series championship. The Patriots dropped two of their first four games before winning 15-straight on their way to a Super Bowl victory.

Like Lambeth said, they’re peaking at just the right time.

Contact Jimmy Spencer at [email protected]