A whole different outcome

Playing well defensively and making shots in critical moments, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn handed South O'Brien a 47-45 loss on Jan. 21 in Hartley.

The result was a far cry from the last time the two teams met on the Hawks' home floor. South O'Brien won that game by the score of 65-7.

"I'm thrilled for our guys and their performance. To see their joy and excitement afterwards, and to see some of that hard work starting to pay off, is what high school sports are all about," Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund said.

Acknowledging that the Wolverines are a different team without leading scorer Derek Paulsen, who did not play due to injury, Hoaglund felt the outcome reflected the Hawks' overall effort.

"I was really proud of our composure throughout the game. We looked and felt confident the whole game," he noted. "Even down the stretch, South O'Brien was able to come back and take the lead but we were never really rattled. We responded to their run and were able to make the plays we needed to come out on top."

H-M-S trailed by six early in the game but finished the first quarter with a 16-11 lead. The Hawks maintained their advantage and led 27-20 at halftime.

"I thought our defense was really key in this game. We really wanted to limit their ability to move the ball around and get jump shots," Hoaglund commented.

The Hawks extended their lead to 10 in the second half with back-to-back three-pointers by Jackson Vogt. The Wolverines cut the margin to 40-36 at the end of the third quarter and took their only lead, 41-40, with four minutes to play. H-M-S responded with five straight points and South O'Brien only got to within two down the stretch.

Isaac Schierholz led H-M-S with 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Jayden Leth scored 10 points, Vogt scored eight, Kolby Douma scored six, Caden Douma scored five and Alex Billings finished with three.

Caden Douma had nine rebounds, three steals and two assists; Billings had five rebounds; and Vogt had three assists.

"Offensively, I thought we were really efficient," Hoaglund said. "We had 15 assists and 17 made baskets, which was incredible and that's due to our guys' unselfishness and willingness to pass up good shots for great shots."

• Westerners pull away in second half

H-M-S's lead at half time did not hold up against Akron-Westfield on Jan. 24. The Westerners rallied in the second half and went on to win, 57-49, at Akron.

The Hawks trailed 15-14 at the end of the first quarter but a strong effort the rest of the half propelled them to a 31-27 lead. Akron-Westfield came back to take a 42-41 lead and then pulled away to earn the win.

No stats for the game were available by press deadline.

H-M-S fell to 5-10 overall and 3-5 in War Eagle Conference play. Next up are a road trip to Boyden-Hull on Jan. 30 and home games with Trinity Christian on Jan. 31 and George-Little Rock on Feb. 4.