District semifinal is 'a real grind'

"It's a tough way to end the season."

That's how Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund summed up Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's 62-22 loss to Remsen St. Mary's in a Class 1A boys' district semifinal on Feb. 17.

H-M-S never led and only forced one tie (2-2). The home team's lead quickly grew to 15-4 late in the first quarter and expanded to 32-13 at the half.

"It certainly wasn't the outcome we had worked and prepared for," Hoaglund acknowledged. "Remsen St. Mary's is tough and they play so well together. Defensively, they are always in great position, contest everything and really limit what you're able to do with the basketball. Offensively, they are so balanced, they play unselfishly, they know where the basketball needs to go and they all can hit shots."

That was evident in their final shooting numbers. St. Mary's made 27-of-50 shots from the floor, including 8-of-15 from three-point range.

St. Mary's lead grew to 55-18 by the end of the third quarter.

Scoring for the Hawks included Lance Berends with seven points, Mason Brinkman with six, Travis Kamradt with five, and Kooper Ebel and Keevyn Jacobsma with two. H-M-S was held to 9-of-29 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 at the line.

Berends and Ebel each grabbed 10 rebounds. Berends also had three blocks.

"It was a real grind for us offensively all night. St. Mary's did a great job making things extremely difficult on Lance and Kooper, and we just couldn't get going," Hoaglund said.

H-M-S ends the season with a record of 11-12. Remsen St. Mary's (22-0) moved on to the district final against South O'Brien.

"I think the hardest thing isn't the loss, but the reality that this is the last time this group will be together collectively," Hoaglund observed. "I'm proud of these guys' effort and the way they worked all year."