Back on the upswing

After losing six of seven games over a two-week period, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn rebounded last week with three wins.

The week began almost like the previous one had ended at Hinton, with H-M-S surrendering a second-half lead and losing in overtime. But the Hawks would not follow that script at Harris-Lake Park on Jan. 31. Despite allowing leads to slip away in the first half and again in the fourth quarter, they prevailed, 68-65, in overtime.

A 12-9 lead after one quarter did not hold up as H-LP rallied to go ahead, 26-24, to end the half. The Hawks prioritized getting the ball inside to Lance Berends and switching to a zone defense during the third quarter, which helped them go in front, 42-38.

"I thought our defense in the first and third quarters was where it needed to be," said Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund. "We got a little out of sorts offensively in the second quarter. We had a few turnovers against their pressure that led to layups. It just felt like we were always scrambling to recover on defense."

H-LP rallied in the final period to force a 61-61 tie, but a "a sense of urgency" swung momentum to the Hawks, who played well in overtime.

"Defensively we worked hard to get out on shooters and take away easy looks. Offensive we valued the basketball and got the looks we needed," Hoaglund noted.

Berends topped the scoring with 38 points and contributed 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Kooper Ebel scored 13 points, Keevyn Jacobsma scored 11, and Travis Kamradt and Trenton Vollink each added three.

Ebel finished with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals; Kamradt dished out seven assists; and Jacobsma and Vollink each had two steals.

• vs. Sibley-Ocheyedan

A commanding half time lead was enough to give H-M-S a 56-38 win over Sibley-Ocheyedan, on Feb. 2 at Sibley.

The Hawks jumped out to a 17-2 lead and extended it to 34-10 at half time.

"I loved our energy and effort on both sides of the floor to open the game," Hoaglund said. "We were really solid defensively in the first half. I loved how we attacked the paint offensively and our ball movement was much better."

While the Generals won the second half, 28-22, the Hawks were still able to win by nearly 20 points.

Ebel scored 23 points and Berends scored 22. Jacobsma added five points, and Lucas Kroese, Isaac Schierholz and Kamradt each scored two.

Berends finished with 17 rebounds and two blocks; Ebel had 10 rebounds and four steals; Jacobsma had eight rebounds; Kroese contributed seven rebounds and two assists; and Kamradt and Vollink had three rebounds. Overall, H-M-S had 22 offensive rebounds.

"I thought our effort on the boards was exceptional on both ends," Hoaglund said. "Probably more impressive was our effort on the offensive glass."

• vs. Trinity Christian

Any hopes that Trinity Christian may have had for a second-half comeback were dashed in the fourth quarter, as H-M-S scored 26 points to seal a 69-46 win on Feb. 3 in Hartley.

A low-scoring opening quarter ended with H-M-S leading 9-5. The Hawks gradually extended the margin to 16 points and led 28-14 at half time.

A three-pointer late in the third quarter pulled the Tigers to within 10 at 40-30, but the Hawks' lead quickly grew to more than 20 points and they cruised to the win.

Leading the scoring were Berends with 26 points, Ebel with 19 and Jacobsma with 13. Kamradt, Kroese and Schierholz each made a three-pointer, and Ethan Diehm scored two points.

Berends dominated on the glass, pulling down 18 rebounds and also blocking two shots. Jacobsma grabbed 10 rebounds; Ebel had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals; Kamradt had six rebounds; Diehm had five rebounds and two steals; and Vollink added three assists.

H-M-S improved to 11-8 overall and 4-5 in War Eagle Conference play. Postseason pairings may be found elsewhere in this issue.

• Stats from loss to Hinton

H-M-S lost in overtime to Hinton, 53-51, on Jan. 27. Stats for that contest follow.

Scoring: Lance Berends 17, Kooper Ebel 16, Travis Kamradt 12, Keevyn Jacobsma 5, and Ethan Diehm 1.

Rebounds: Ebel 12, Jacobsma 10, Berends 8, Trenton Vollink 3, Landen Elwood and Diehm 2.

Assists: Kamradt 5, Jacobsma 2.

Steals: Jacobsma 3, Elwood and Ebel 2.

Blocks: Ebel 3.