On top of their game

Big finishes in both halves helped Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn defeat Harris-Lake Park, 61-45, on Feb. 1 in Hartley. It was the Hawk girls' first win since Jan. 18.

The 10-10 deadlock at the end of the first quarter reflected the early seesaw battle. It continued until H-M-S took the lead for good with 5:45 left in the second quarter. The Hawks extended it to 29-20 at the half.

"The girls were mentally and physically ready to go. They played the whole game and they played hard. They were on top of their game," said Hawk coach Lester Tessum.

H-M-S built a 16-point advantage in the third quarter but a Wolves' comeback cut the deficit to 45-39. The Hawks used a 13-3 run early in the final period to help end their five-game losing streak.

Elise Haack and Lydia Harders each scored 13 points; Jasmine Lux and Kylee Schiphoff scored 12; Emily Otto scored seven and Gracie Knobloch added four. The Hawks shot just under 50 percent from the field (25-of-52).

Harders led the squad with eight rebounds and five steals; Schiphoff had five rebounds and three steals; Lux grabbed five rebounds; Otto had three rebounds and two assists; and Haack added three rebounds.

Tessum thought the Hawks showed good poise on offense late in the game and were solid defensively after struggling with early foul trouble.

"We were being patient on the offensive end, looking for nothing but a layup. The girls took care of the ball," he said. "We were in foul trouble in the first half, but after that we were aggressive but not overly aggressive."

• vs. MMCRU

MMCRU led from start to finish during a 68-31 win over H-M-S on Jan. 31 in Hartley. The teams met again after having played at Marcus on Jan. 25.

The Royals (1A No. 4) broke out to a 15-1 lead and increased it to 40-15 at half time.

"I didn't think we came out with real good energy, especially in the first half," Tessum observed. "It's a tough situation to play the same team you played six or seven days ago."

The Hawks played better in the second half but were outscored 28-16.

Schiphoff led H-M-S with 12 points, Knobloch scored nine, and Abby Douma and Frankie Mohni each scored three. The Hawks made 10-of-52 shots from the floor and 7-of-16 at the foul line. They also committed 23 turnovers.

Lux pulled down seven rebounds; Mutombo had six rebounds and two steals; Schiphoff had six rebounds; and Harders had three rebounds.

The inside-outside threat posed by the Royals challenged the Hawks defensively.

"They have a real good post presence and can also shoot the three," Tessum said. "Having that is a big benefit for them."

• vs. Sibley-Ocheyedan

Facing a rated team for the second time in four days, the Hawks outscored Sibley-Ocheyedan (2A No. 5) for three quarters. Their downfall was the third quarter when the Generals took the lead and went on to earn a 55-45 win on Feb. 3 in Hartley.

H-M-S scored the first six points but eventually fell behind by six. They pulled to within 14-12 to end the first quarter but again trailed by six. An 8-2 run to end the first half put the Hawks in front, 26-23.

After giving up the lead to open the third quarter, H-M-S tied the score at 29-29. The Generals answered with a 15-3 run to end the quarter, giving them a 43-32 advantage. S-O extended its lead to as many as 16 points in the final period.

Schiphoff led H-M-S with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Lux had nine points and four rebounds; Harders had five points, three rebounds and two steals; Knobloch had five points and three steals; Haack and Mutombo each finished with five points.

• vs. Trinity Christian

The Hawks' scoring drought in the final period allowed Trinity Christian to come all the way back to earn a 36-34 win on Feb. 4 at Hull.

H-M-S had built a 23-16 lead by half time and extended it to nine points at the end of the third quarter. Trinity Christian rallied, outscoring H-M-S by a 13-2 margin in the final quarter to give them the two-point win.

The Hawks especially struggled at the foul line where they made just 3-of-14 attempts (21 percent). Trinity Christian was 9-of-18.

Mutombo and Lux scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Harders scored six.

Harders grabbed eight rebounds; Otto had six rebounds and two steals; Mutombo had four rebounds and three steals; and Lux had four rebounds and two steals.

The Hawks fell to 5-15 overall and 0-9 in War Eagle Conference games. They concluded the regular season Tuesday night against South O'Brien.