In a taut affair between Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and Gehlen Catholic, the Jays made just enough plays at the end of the game to escape with a 62-58 War Eagle Conference win over HMS December 17 at Le Mars. Carter DeRocher’s three-point play with 1:13 remaining put Gehlen into the lead 58-56. Trailing by four, the Hawks got a basket from Lance Berends but two more free throws by DeRocher with 22 seconds left provided the final margin of victory.
“I’m proud of the way our guys came out and competed,” remarked HMS head coach Naet Hoaglund. “For four quarters our guys were locked in and gave it everything they had. We defended hard. We were engaged and focused on the details. We responded to every run that Gehlen went on. We just ended up on the wrong side of a competitive game against a really good Gehlen team. I thought our kids took a big step forward in their growth in this game from a competitive standpoint. I was happy with how we answered to the momentum shifts in the game. There were times when Gehlen could have seized momentum but we answered with stops and baskets when we needed it.”
Korey Ebel led the Hawks in scoring with 25 points including three treys. Berends made 11 of his 14 shots to finish with 22 points. Jordan Ortega had the other Hawk trey and scored five points. Recording two points apiece were Mason Brinkman, Travis Kamradt and Keevyn Jacobsma. Berends notched four assists while Brinkman and Ebel each had two.
Berends’ marksmanship helped HMS shoot 58 percent (26 of 45) for the game. The Jays came in at 38 percent (23 of 61). They popped in five three-pointers.
Gehlen’s late-game free throw success helped the team finish 11-for-14 at the line. On the other hand, the Hawks made only two of eight foul shots. “We had every opportunity to win that game,” noted Hoaglund. “Our margin of error against good teams in tight games is small right now. We need to do a better job of capitalizing on free throws. In close games, hitting free throws is going to be critical.”
HMS did win the rebound battle 36-29. Berends pulled down 16 boards while Ebel grabbed five and Brinkman four. Ebel made three steals as the Jays committed eight turnovers. The Hawks turned the ball over 11 times.
HMS 15 10 15 18 – 58
Gehlen 13 16 14 19 – 62