Scoring lapses doom Hawk boys

An opening 10-0 run by Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire proved to be the difference-maker during a 66-55 win over Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, on Dec. 16 in Hartley.

In addition to the fast start, the Titans also scored the final nine points of the first quarter to build at 24-8 lead.

"We came out slow in that first period," Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund said. "Defensively, we were slow to rotate and struggled to deny the ball into the post. Offensively, I thought we settled for threes early and didn't attack the rim enough."

Improved defense and more offensive balance helped H-M-S narrow the deficit to 34-22 at the half. Neither team gained an advantage to open the second half and the margin remained at 12 points after three quarters.

GTRA opened the fourth quarter with a brief run to extend the lead to 59-42, and the Hawks could get no closer than 11 points.

"The game was much more competitive from the second quarter on," Hoaglund noted. "We just dug too deep of a hole in the first quarter and could never get over the hump in the second half."

Scoring leaders were Isaac Schierholz with 16 points, Caden Douma with 14 and Alex Billings with 11. Jackson Vogt scored eight points, and Kolby Douma and Lawton Schiphoff each made a three-pointer.

Schierholz also led H-M-S with 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks; Billings grabbed eight rebounds; Caden Douma had six rebounds; and Vogt finished with four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

• Wolverines pull away for win

The Hawks stayed with South O'Brien for most of the first half but could not sustain that effort down the stretch of a 68-40 loss, on Dec. 17 at Paullina.

The Wolverines led 15-10 to open the game but H-M-S only trailed by four with three minutes to play in the first half.

"I thought we competed really hard and did a lot of good things," Hoaglund observed. "I was pleased with our ball movement and shot selection. I thought we were competing well and doing the things that we needed."

The Wolverines then went on a 13-2 run, extending the margin to 36-21 at half time. They continued to pull away in the second half, outscoring H-M-S by a 32-19 margin.

"We allowed too many offensive rebounds that led to 19 second chance points. Combine that with 18 points off turnovers and that was the main difference in the game," Hoaglund noted.

Caden Douma led H-M-S with 14 points, Jayden Leth and Schierholz both scored nine and Vogt scored six.

Schierholz had eight assists and six rebounds; Douma also had six rebounds; Vogt had five rebounds and three assists; and Leth grabbed three rebounds.

• Long drought against Remsen St. Mary's

The Hawks also stayed close with Remsen St. Mary's for a quarter and a half, but a long scoring drought was the clincher in a 59-29 loss on Dec. 20 in Hartley.

H-M-S led by three early in the game but trailed 11-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks were back on top, 16-15, with four minutes to play in the half before going scoreless during the next 10-1/2 minutes.

St. Mary's scored the final 17 points of the second quarter to build a 32-16 halftime lead, and scored 11 more points before a three-pointer by Caden Douma with two minutes to go in the third quarter ended the drought.

Scoring for H-M-S included 11 points by Douma, seven points by Leth, six points by Schierholz and five points by Vogt. No other stats were available as of press deadline.

The Hawks finished the pre-holiday schedule at 1-7 overall and 0-3 in War Eagle Conference play. They return action on Jan. 7 at George-Little Rock.