Coming off back-to-back double-digit losses, the Thunderhawks built a big lead and weathered a Big Blue fourth-quarter rally in a 45-39 win at the Hamilton Athletic Center.
“We have to learn to close teams out,” Adkins said. “We are up 15 and have some turnovers and they hit some 3s on the other end. All of a sudden, instead of running offense and going up 18-19, we are in a dogfight and have to grind it out.”
PHOTOS: Greg Lynch’s gallery from the game
Evan Kuhlman led all scorers with 17 points and Jarrett Cox added 13 as East put a damper on a night Hamilton announced its 2017 Hall of Fame class. At halftime HHS introduced inductees Chris Calihan (1992), Dawnjene DeLong (2004), Rusty Hargraves (1983), David Huff (2000), Jennifer McKee Dyson (2006), Adam Myers-White (2005), Maurice “Mo” Riggins (1988), Jon Smith (2003), Ted Steed (1970) and Jason Vessely (1996).
East led 10-6 after the first quarter, extended the margin to 23-15 at half and took total control in a dominant third quarter. Cox poured in nine points in the quarter as the Thunderhawks grabbed a 39-26 lead.
Known for its man-to-man defense, East threw a zone at Hamilton and the Big Blue struggled to hit from the outside, making 5 of 18 from beyond the arc.
“Well, we are a man team, but I give a lot of credit to our guys for executing the zone,” Adkins said. “I was happy for the way we played, especially the first three quarters. Thank God (Jackson See) hit some free throws.”
Hamilton rallied in the final quarter, helped by some missed free throws by East, to close to 41-39 with less than a minute left, but See (10 points) nailed four free throws to close out the win.
Hunter Hamilton had 10 points and eight rebounds while Daniel Brunck chipped in 10 points for HHS, which played without starter Myles Howard (illness).
“That was a good adjustment on their part,” HHS coach Sean Van Winkle said of the East zone. “We obviously had a hard time getting into the seams of the zone, and we didn’t shoot well. We made a good comeback, but we need to play better earlier.”
Big Blue, 10-10 overall and 7-7 in the Greater Miami Conference, shot 14 of 37 from the field. East, which outrebounded Hamilton 23-20, shot 17 of 33. The Thunderhawks (13-7, 9-5) were efficient in the second half, shooting 50 percent.
HHS won its first meeting with East 56-46 on Dec. 13.
Hamilton hasn’t finished over .500 in the GMC since 2007 — a mark Van Winkle wasn’t aware of — and has two conference games left.
“You know, every game is a dogfight in the GMC,” Van Winkle said. “We have put ourselves in a good spot to finish strong and go into the tournament on a roll.”
Both teams are in action Tuesday. HHS travels to Colerain, while East hosts Middletown.
Lakota East 10-13-16-6—45
Hamilton 6-9-11-13—39
LAKOTA EAST (13-7, 9-5 GMC): Jackson See 2 6 10, Evan Kuhlman 8 0 17, Matt DeSalvo 1 0 3, Kyrell Metts 1 0 2, Jarrett Cox 5 2 13. Totals: 17-8-45
HAMILTON (10-10, 7-7 GMC): Daizure Morris 1 0 3, Jaylen Robinson 2 3 8, Daniel Brunck 3 1 10, Hunter Hamilton 4 2 10, D’Marco Howard 2 0 4, Cameron Benson 2 0 4. Totals: 14-6-39
3-pointers: L 3 (Kuhlman, DeSalvo, Cox), H 5 (Brunck 3, Morris, Robinson)
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