The Hillsboro boys found the Sterling gymnasium to their liking Mon?day night, rolling to 57-33 victory over the Black Bears in a makeup game caused by last Tues?day?s snowstorm.
The Trojans were never seriously threatened on this night. They established a 10-3 lead after one quarter and pushed the margin to 27-16 by halftime.
Hillsboro ended any Sterling thoughts of a late comeback by outscoring the home team 18-8 in the third period and taking a commanding 45-24 lead into the final period.
Brett Weinbrenner continued his steady offensive production, tossing in 19 points to lead the Trojans. Evan Ollenburger chipped in a season-high 10 points and Christian Ratzlaff was close behind with nine.
With the win, Hillsboro improved to 13-2 overall and 3-1 in the Central Kansas League race.
Lyons?The Hillsboro boys kept the outcome in doubt until the final seconds before claiming a 54-49 victory over the Lions Friday at Brown Gymnasium.
Leading a back-and-forth game, 38-36, heading into the final quarter, the Trojans seemed close to securing a victory late in the game when Jesse Brown scored in the paint off an assist by Evan Ollen?burger, who then stole the ball and scored seconds later for a 49-44 margin with 2:21 to go.
But with shaky free-throw shooting down the stretch, combined with a couple of big-time baskets by Lyons standout Ryan McClure, and suddenly the visitors were back within range at 51-49 with 26 seconds to play.
When Brett Weinbrenner made one of two free throws seconds later, Lyons was within a three-pointer of a tie. But McClure and two teammates each missed a shot on the next possession before the Trojans grabbed a rebound. Ratzlaff was fouled with 3.1 seconds left and made both free throws to secure the five-point win.
Lyons jumped into the lead at the start of the game, using a zone defense and some pretty hot shooting to build a 12-4 advantage at the 4:16 mark.
But a three by Weinbren?ner, a basket in the paint by Ratzlaff and a quick-shot three-pointer from the corner by Jordan Faul at the buzzer tied the game at 12 as the quarter ended.
?I thought we did a good job early on when they made all those shots.? coach Darrel Knoll said. ?We kept playing and were able to tie it up by (the end of) the quarter.?
The Trojans led 26-24 at halftime and pushed the margin to 32-24 in the first two minutes of the second half before Lyons rallied to pull within two as the third quarter ended.
Ratzlaff and Weinbren?ner each scored 14 points to pace the Trojans. Wein?brenner made four of nine three-point attempts, including three in the second half from well beyond the arc.
?I felt like we were a little dead on our feet tonight?it seemed we were just a little flat,? coach Darrel Knoll said. ?I don?t know if it?s having two weeks off, the snow days, or whatever. But we made enough plays to win. A few more free throws down the stretch would have made it easier.?
McClure took game honors with 20 points and teammate Dakota Nave added 15. Lyons stayed in contention partly because of their 37-24 edge in rebounding.
?Lyons played us tough tonight and gave us everything they had,? Knoll said. ?It was a hard battle and we were able to find a way to win. That?s a mark of good character and a good team.?
Coming?Coming off the makeup game at Sterling Monday, the Trojans were scheduled to face two teams on the opposite ends of success. Smoky Valley (0-13) was to play here Tuesday and then Hesston (14-0) Friday.
