Sioux Central outscored Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn by 12 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Hawks 69-59 February 8 at Sioux Rapids. The Rebels shot 29 free throws in the game and made 25. HMS had 16 attempts at the charity stripe and converted nine.
Hawk head coach Mark Petersen did not pin the loss exclusively on his team’s fourth quarter performance. “We struggled from the field,” said Petersen. “Defensively we gave up easy shots throughout the game.”
HMS was 22-of-49 from the field for 45 percent. The Rebels shot 38 percent with 18 baskets in 48 tries. Isolating the long range shooting, the Hawks were 6-of-18 from behind the three-point line and Sioux Central was 8-of-25.
Lance Berends had a big night in a losing cause, scoring a season-high 30 points. Sam Heyn added nine points, Kooper Ebel eight, Kayl Jacobsma five, Ben Haack four and Jordan Ortega three. There were 17 Hawk assists, including seven from Haack and six from Ebel. Jacob Hargens scored 30 points for the Rebels to match Berends for game honors.
Berends and Jacobsma each grabbed nine rebounds. The five steals came from Ebel, Heyn, Jacobsma, Berends and Ortega. Sioux Central turned the ball over 12 times while the Hawks committed eight turnovers.
HMS 11 16 16 16 – 59
S. Central 15 9 17 28 – 69