A strong start to the first half put Ellinwood against the ropes Friday, but it was strong start to the second half that propelled the Hillsboro boys a 56-35 technical knockout in a league contest.
Coach Darrel Knoll said afterward that his team’s strong performance was motivated in part by a sub-par showing in a double-digit loss to Nickerson the previous Monday.
Gavin Serene whips a pass to Andy Klassen and picks up the first of his four assists during Friday’s 56-35 win at Ellinwood. The play came during an 11-2 run HHS used to take control of the game . Don Ratzlaff / Free Press
“We wanted to redeem ourselves from Monday’s performance,” he said. “Nickerson played well, but we didn’t—and we knew that.
“Tonight, I thought we were much more active defensively. I thought we got up in the lanes a little better and had better ball pressure.”
Clay Shewey landed a quick blow for the Trojans when he drained a 3-pointer 10 seconds into the contest. Andy Klassen followed with a basket off a feed from Gavin Serene a minute later and the Trojans were off on an 11-2 run through the first 4:00.
A pair of 3-pointers by Ethan Thomas slowed the Trojans’ momentum late in the period, but Hillsboro maintained a solid 19-11 lead at the first break.
The margin remained at that level through the second period with Hillsboro taking a 27-17 advantage into halftime.
Refreshed, Hillsboro set the tone in the third quarter when Serene and Shewey hit back-to-back 3-pointers within the first 54 seconds.
When Shewey hit another 3-pointer at the 3:30 mark, the Trojans were in control at 40-21. The two teams combined for only one point as the quarter ended at 40-22.
The potency of Hillsboro’s attack moved from behind the arc to the free-throw line to start the final period. David Loewen made all eight attempts and added a field goal to fuel one last surge for a 50-29 cushion with 4:24 to go.
For all his spark on offense in the fourth quarter, Knoll was most pleased with Loewen’s night on the defense end.
“Dave did a great job of playing the pass, of rebounding—just a complete game,” Knoll said.
The 6-foot-5 junior post finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Shewey took scoring honors with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting while Daniel Jost contributed 10 points and four assists.
As a team, the Trojans shot 54 percent from floor (21-39) while limiting the Eagles to a tepid 31 percent (12-39).
The win boosted Hillsboro’s record to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in league play while Ellinwood fell to 2-4 and 1-2.
“I thought we had a little lull in the second half of the first quarter, but we were able to regain it and I was pleased with that,” Knoll said. “I thought the real key was coming out in the third quarter with good intensity and sharpness.
“We had a lot of good performances.”
Coming—Hillsboro was to square off against Thomas More Prep on Tuesday in the first round of the Trojan Classic. The results of that game, as well as play times for the rest of the week, will be posted at www.hillsborofreepress.com and on the Free Line (947-3363).
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