Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn fell behind by 20 points after one quarter against Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire in what became a 70-24 non-conference win for the Titans December 11 at Graettinger. The Hawks committed 22 turnovers and saw GTRA shoot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field.
“I thought the two most concerning aspects of that game were our turnovers and our struggles defensively,” offered HMS head coach Naet Hoaglund. “We had too many live ball turnovers leading to scores for GTRA. With our deficiencies on the offensive end of the court, every possession and opportunity to score matters. We let GTRA get into a rhythm offensively early in the game where they were able to hit four or five threes and the onslaught was on.  Our guys are playing hard and working hard, we just haven’t been able to compete the way we need to. I commend their positive attitudes and work ethic despite some of these outcomes. We just need to continue working hard and finding small victories within the game that we can build on and grow from.”
The Hawks converted nine of 35 shot attempts for 26 percent. They were 5-of-22 from three-point range and just 1-of-2 at the free throw line.
Bradley Van Beek scored eight points, Jayden Leth six, Lawton Schiphoff five, George Vargas and Alex Billings two each and Zac Pearson one. Josh Cruz supplied three assists. Alex Billings was the leading in rebounds with five. Collecting four rebounds apiece were Vargas, Cruz and Van Beek. Cruz and Schiphoff had one steal each.
HMS 8 5 6 5 – 24
GTRA 28 16 16 10 – 70