“We were 0-2, but we felt like we were a decent team. We just needed to catch a break,” said HHS coach Sean Van Winkle, whose squad is 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the GMC.
“We had a really good defensive scheme. Coach (Justin) Beck had the scout, and we did a great job of getting guys prepared. We knew who to guard and who not to guard. They listened, and it was a really good effort.”
Hamilton only attempted one 3-pointer (and missed it), focusing instead on challenging the Thunderhawks inside.
“It was amazing,” said Howard, a senior forward who tallied 11 points in the fourth period. “I was just making sure our team stayed ahead. I’m one of the three captains on the team. I had to make big plays in big moments. But it was a great team win.”
“The way they were guarding us, we felt like we needed to get to the basket,” Van Winkle said. “They took away our 3s. That’s why we were trying to get to the rim as much as we could.”
The visitors were 18 of 23 at the charity stripe, 9 of 11 in the final seven minutes.
Evan Kuhlman (17), Jarrett Cox (16) and Jackson See (11) combined for all but two points for East, which only led twice (18-17 and 21-19) and dropped to 2-2, 2-1.
“This is my third season, and we’ve always played East really tight,” Van Winkle said. “I know Kuhlman and Cox scored some points, but we still held them under what they’re used to doing. Myles and Johnny (Jones) did an incredible job on those guys.”
Thunderhawks coach Clint Adkins, also in his third year at the helm, said Big Blue clearly deserved to win. East was coming off a 61-39 triumph over Lakota West.
“Coach (Michael) Boyd comes over after warmups and says, ‘Nobody’s communicating. The guys just aren’t engaged,’ ” Adkins said. “We talked about it the last two days. You had the big win and you’re feeling really good about yourselves, and I think you’re kind of buying into the hype a little bit. Then we came out and just got out-toughed and outworked in every facet of the game. In my short tenure, it is by far the worst performance a Lakota East team has ever put on display.”
East opened the game by going scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Kuhlman’s layup with 1:11 on the clock was the Thunderhawks’ only points of the quarter.
Hamilton’s man-to-man defense wore on East. The hosts shot 50 percent from the floor, but they committed 14 turnovers and got outrebounded 23-14.
Big Blue, meanwhile, were 14 of 18 from the field after halftime. That’s 77.8 percent.
“The efficiency of the offense in the second half was very good,” Van Winkle said. “We were taking good shots, we were getting good reversals, and we felt like we were taking good care of the ball. We didn’t do that in the first half.”
Robinson marked six points in the final stanza for HHS. Teammate D’Marco Howard totaled seven points and scored in every quarter.
Hamilton led 33-31 at the third stop after Kuhlman banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Big Blue didn’t lose their composure, opening the fourth period with a 10-4 spurt.
Myles Howard was particularly impressive down the stretch.
“Myles did a really good job of taking good, solid, smart shots,” Van Winkle said. “He pulled it out when he needed to. He attacked the rim when he needed to. And he stepped up and made free throws, which is big for him.”
“Howard killed us,” Adkins said. “Once he got going, everything he put up went in. Give him credit. He was an absolute stud tonight.”
Howard added seven rebounds and four steals. Kuhlman paced East with five boards.
“I’ll bet they had 14 points on run-out layups off of steals, guys not meeting passes and throwing weak passes that led to layups,” Adkins said. “We pride ourselves on deflections and getting stops. Anytime we got a lead or even got close, they scored because we just weren’t very tough.”
HHS will have its home opener Friday night against West. Big Blue’s first two losses came at the hands of Northwest (56-48) and Oak Hills (60-58).
“We know how good we are,” Howard said. “Those first two, we let ’em slip away, but we’re ready now. The last game really told us a lot about ourselves.”
The Thunderhawks are headed to Coral Springs, Fla., to play three games in the Kreul Classic. They open against host J.P. Taravella on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
“We have a very inexperienced group of guys,” Adkins said. “Part of the reason we like to do this trip is because it’s a team bonding experience. It’ll be good to get away and do some team-building activities.”
Hamilton 8-9-16-23—56
Lakota East 2-16-13-15—46
HAMILTON (1-2, 1-1 GMC): Johnny Jones 1 3 5, Jaylen Robinson 2 6 10, Eric Jackson 2 1 5, Daniel Brunck 0 1 1, Myles Howard 9 4 22, Hunter Hamilton 1 0 2, D’Marco Howard 3 1 7, Cameron Benson 1 2 4. Totals: 19-18-56
LAKOTA EAST (2-2, 2-1 GMC): Jalen Peck 0 2 2, Jackson See 4 0 11, Evan Kuhlman 7 1 17, Jarrett Cox 6 3 16. Totals: 17-6-46
3-pointers: L 6 (See 3, Kuhlman 2, Cox)
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