Opponents' fast starts kept Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on the losing side of the scoreboard during the final week of the boys' regular season.

Sioux Central's 14-0 run set the tone during the Hawks' 67-46 loss on Feb. 5 in Hartley. The Rebels led 22-6 at the end of the first quarter and 38-16 at halftime. H-M-S outscored the Rebels by a 14-10 margin in the third quarter, but they answered with a 12-2 run and put the game out of reach.

"We dug ourselves a pretty big hole that first quarter. We struggled to get a rhythm going offensively," Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund noted. "I thought we struggled to k...