Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn stepped out of conference February 3 to host Sibley-Ocheyedan at Hartley. The Generals came into the game with a 4-13 record compiled primarily against teams in the rugged Siouxland Conference. It was a test for the Hawks and they passed that test, turning away the visitors 64-47.
“I was happy with how we competed against a tough Sibley-Ocheyedan team,” said HMS head coach Naet Hoaglund. “They play really hard and are well coached. I’m proud of how our guys came out and competed with great effort, especially on the defensive end.  I loved how aggressive we were offensively and how well we attacked.”
Kooper Ebel was the team leader in both points, with 23, and in assists, with four. “We got some great looks off of our dribble penetration which led to quality shot opportunities,” observed Hoaglund. “Kooper was instrumental in our aggressive penetration. His ability to get past defenders up top and play off of two feet in the paint is big for us, whether it leads to shots for himself or opens up opportunities for others.”
Benefitting were Mason Brinkman and Travis Kamradt who finished with 10 and eight points respectively. Each nailed a pair of three-pointers. Jordan Ortega drained another to account for his three points.
There were no treys for Lance Berends or Keevyn Jacobsma but the former managed 14 points and the latter four. Tyson Tessum scored the final basket of the game to register two points.
Berends collected 17 rebounds and Ebel 10. The pair blocked a total of nine shots with six of the rejections coming from Ebel. Berends and Brinkman each notched three assists.
As a team HMS was 22-of-48 from the floor for 46 percent. The Generals shot 32 percent with 19 buckets in 59 tries. They hit a pair of three-pointers and seven of 13 free throw tries. The Hawks won despite going 13-for-32 at the charity stripe.
“Overall I’m really proud of how we competed and have competed these last three games,” said Hoaglund. “To have three games in four days is tough. Guys are tired and sore. It’s physically and mentally fatiguing. So to have our guys continue to show up and compete with the effort that they do speaks to how tough they are.”
SO 12 13 8 14 – 47
HMS 15 20 13 16 – 64