Joshua Tyson scored a game-high 14 points and Brayden Goldner added 12 off the bench as the Firebirds shot 54.5% from the field and led start to finish. Hamilton managed just 21.6% shooting on the day.
Lakota West wasted little time asserting control, racing out to a 21-4 lead after the first quarter and never looking back. The Firebirds steadily built the margin behind efficient offense and wave after wave of defensive pressure. Lakota West won the turnover battle 20-11.
“I’m actually proud of our guys, man,” Lakota West coach Kelven Moss said. “I was kind of nervous about how they’d come in with their focus, just coming off a huge game last night, but they came in ready to play. You worry about the energy part of it, but they had good juice.”
The win came less than 24 hours after Lakota West’s first loss of the season — a 72-71 overtime buzzer-beating defeat to national power La Lumiere at Flyin’ to the Hoop at Fairmont. Moss admitted the emotional and physical toll lingered into Monday.
“Last night’s game was draining. My blood pressure was high,” Moss said. “We really wanted that one because we wanted to prove people wrong. To take a top-17 team in the country to overtime and have a chance to win it — that says a lot.”
With sore legs and limited prep time, Moss adjusted the routine.
“We went to First Watch for breakfast — didn’t even do our regular walkthrough,” Moss said. “We just watched film and talked through what we wanted to do. I wanted to keep them off their legs. Some of the guys were extremely sore from last night.”
Hamilton entered the afternoon shorthanded, missing key three players who account for at least 30 points a game — sophomore guard Jordon Johnson-Perdomo, senior guard RJ Wilson and junior guard Elijah Jones.
And the Firebirds capitalized early.
“We knew we were going to have to play perfect to have a chance,” Hamilton coach Jake Turner said. “When you’re minus three of your top five scorers — your two best players — that’s hard for any team in any conference. When those guys are healthy, they’re all-league caliber players.”
Turner said the circumstances didn’t diminish his respect for Lakota West, which entered as the state’s top-ranked team.
“Even though they lost the night before, we knew they were going to be ready to go,” Turner said. “They’re really good, and they showed it.”
Despite the lopsided score, Turner pointed to long-term positives for a Hamilton team forced to lean on inexperienced players.
“I think what we can take away is that we’re getting minutes for guys who haven’t had them before,” Turner said. “Some of these guys were playing eight to 10 minutes before, and now they’re playing 20. That experience matters.”
Lakota West improved to 14-1 overall and 9-0 in the Greater Miami Conference. Hamilton, which got seven points from Knox Mills, fell to 8-7 and 4-5 in league play after also dropping a 53-51 decision to Beavercreek on Saturday.
“I truly believe that when we’re healthy, we’re right there,” Turner said. “Right now, it’s adversity. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to move on and get ready — that’s our mindset.”
Moss said Monday was about managing the moment — and the miles already on his team’s legs.
“We’re deeper than last year, so I can play more guys,” Moss said. “It hurts to lose games like last night, but it’s great experience. It prepares us for the tournament.”
After a draining weekend and a dominant conference performance, Lakota West finally gets a breather.
“At least we don’t play again until Friday,” said Moss, whose squad faces Mason next. “We’ll get some rest.”
Hamilton also gets back to action Friday at home against Middletown.
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