Finally over the hump

Before the season began, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn boys' basketball coach Naet Hoaglund had no doubt that the Hawks would win a game. His concern was that their losing streak did not extend too far into the season.

Well, his worries about that are over.

Trailing at half time against Harris-Lake Park, the Hawks stepped up their play on both ends of the court, outscoring the Wolves by 18 points in the second half to earn a 47-35 win on Dec. 10 at Lake Park.

That ended a 26-game losing streak dating back to the final game of the 2022-23 season.

"I'm very excited for our guys and happy with how they competed," Hoaglund said. "We've been close a few times and to finally get over the hump and get back on the right side of things is uplifting for our guys. I'm proud of the mindset and attitudes our guys continue to have and their willingness to be coached and get better."

H-M-S held a slim 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Wolves took advantage of their size during the second quarter and the Hawks struggled to make shots. Those factors allowed H-LP to take a 22-16 lead into half time.

"It was too easy for Harris-Lake Park to get the ball inside. They had an advantage in the post and they capitalized on that," Hoaglund noted. "We settled for the three-point shot too much in the first half and our offense suffered and became stagnant."

The Hawks attack the rim offensively in the second half and were more aggressive on defense, helping them rally to tie the score at 31-31. Two three-pointers early in the fourth quarter by Lawton Schiphoff put H-M-S in front, and the Hawks went on an 18-0 run to close out the game.

Leading H-M-S were Isaac Schierholz with 15 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Jackson Vogt with 14 points and four steals.

"Isaac had five assists and that part of his game is often overlooked. He does a great job of recognizing when help comes and where the ball needs to go to punish the help," Hoaglund noted. "Jackson was very disruptive defensively and hit some really crucial shots."

Schiphoff scored eight points; Caden Douma scored seven points and had four steals; and Jayden Leth scored three points and grabbed four rebounds. Alex Billings was "a difference maker" on defense, grabbing seven rebounds.

• Jays build early lead

A strong first half by Gehlen Catholic's spoiled chances of the Hawks winning back-to-back games. They trailed by 17 points at the intermission and eventually lost, 55-39, on Dec. 13 in Hartley.

The Jays scored the first six points and led 14-4 after one quarter. The Hawks trailed by 20 in the middle of the second quarter and could only narrow the margin to 35-18 by half time.

H-M-S continued to fall behind in the second half and faced a 47-28 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

Schierholz scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, Schiphoff scored nine points, Douma and Vogt each scored eight, and Leth added two.

Douma finished with five rebounds, four steals, three blocks and two assists; Schiphoff had four rebounds and three assists; Vogt had four rebounds, two assists and two steals; and Schierholz also had two assists.

H-M-S (1-4, 0-1) closes out the pre-Christmas schedule at home against Remsen St. Mary's on Dec. 20.