Hawks Split Against Spokane Schools
The Lakeland Hawks (2-1) faced off against the East Valley Knights (0-2) on Dec. 1. The Hawks then played the West Valley Eagles (2-0) on Dec. 2.
The Hawks had their home opener against the Knights at Hawk Court and started hot. The Hawks were pressuring the Knights and keeping them off of their game.
“I think that the ball pressure in this game was the key to why we jumped on them so early in the game,” senior Kenton Ferguson said.
Junior Mason Hensley led the Hawks with 21 points, Ferguson had 16 and senior Tyler Norce had 11. Many others contributed to the team’s blowout.
“I think that the whole team played very well together, and I mean Mason and Kenton stepped up big time,” junior Lovie Weil said.
After the first quarter, the Hawks took a huge 29-4 lead thanks to various turnovers that the Knights had. Also, Norce hit 2 of 3 threes in the first quarter.
“That lead going into the second quarter was nothing short of amazing. The team was firing on all cylinders,” Ferguson said.
Going into the second quarter, the Hawks were ready and locked in. From a spectator standpoint, it was clear this is a whole different team compared to last year. The Hawks entered halftime leading 47-23.
Coming out of halftime, the Hawks regained focus and were ready to pick up right where they left off, outscoring the Knights 21-13 going into the 3rd quarter.
“At this point in the game, we were just playing so well together,” Hensley said.
The fourth quarter was a tough one for both teams, but once again, the Hawks outscored the Knights 8-3. This quarter was an absolute defensive showdown.
“The defense that was played in this quarter was insane, I mean, how do two teams only score 11 points combined in one quarter, there’s one answer, and it’s defense,” Weil said.
Comparing the Hakws this year to last year was night and day. This year, the Hawks look like they can all score from anywhere and share the ball a lot better and more efficiently. Another key difference was the on and off-ball defense that the Hawks displayed against the Knights, in which last year it seemed that the Hawks lacked defense.
The full-court press was also an impressive sight to see, as it caused numerous turnovers and made the Knights struggle to maintain the ball with all sorts of pressure being thrown at them.
“I think that the shot clock also has had a dramatic effect this year as well, I think that teams have to strategize a lot more, and it gives players more opportunities to shine and score more points,” Weil said.
The Hawks then played the Eagles the following day and lost a heartbreaker 78-74 in overtime.
“This game was a lot of fun, though we fell short of our goal. We still competed at a competitive level,” Weil said.
Ferguson had a career-high 32 points while scoring 24 in the second half alone. Junior Gabe Harris had 18, and senior Ben Ryan had 9.
The Hawks played a competitive first quarter, but we were down 21-14 going into the second quarter.
“I think that we were just not locked in to start the game, and I mean, it showed considering we were down 7,” Ferguson said.
Entering the second quarter, the Hawks regained focus and had a good game plan. Any spectator in that building could see that the Hawks came out as a different team after the break.
“Though we didn’t play to what we could, I think we responded well and had a little momentum going into halftime,” Weil said.
The Hawks outscored the Eagles 15-13 in the second quarter. Despite this, the Hawks were down 34-29, entering halftime.
After halftime concluded, the third quarter started, and the Hawks picked up right where they left off.
“Halftime was so good for us. It allowed us to calm down and focus on what we could all do to contribute to the team,” Harris said.
Again, the Hawks outscored the Eagles 22-15 to finish the third quarter. Through the third, the Hawks were leading 51-49.
Fast forward to the 4th quarter the Hawks got outscored 17-15. Anyone watching could see that this game was both an offensively favored matchup and a good defensive matchup.
“I mean, this game only had ups and downs there never was a comfortable lead for either team, but in the end, they just wanted it a little bit more than we did,” Weil said.
Just like that, both teams were tied 66-66 apiece. After a water break and a few minutes to recuperate, overtime started.
The Hawks just fell short, losing an absolute heart-breaker. Though the Hawks lost, they still fought till the end and played a great complete game.
The Hawks play next at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8 at home against Lewiston.
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Lady Hawks Continue Road Dominance
On Dec. 2, the Lakeland Hawks (2-2) girl’s basketball team took on the West Valley Eagles (0-3). The Hawks came out on top with a dominant 59-21 road win.
Junior Landree Simon scored 24. Sophomore Karstyn Kiefer scored nine points for the Hawks. The Hawks were able to bring an edge to their playing style that allowed them to cause chaos for the Eagles on the court.
Improving their playing style by picking up speed and hustle allowed this to be a big victory for the Hawks. Coaches have seen huge improvements in all players on the team since the beginning of the season. This improvement can be seen in the ball control, speed, and endurance for the week’s game.
The Eagles struggled to put points on the board for the entirety of the game, and the defense for the Hawks disrupted the flow of the Eagles’ offensive attack. The Eagles seemed continuously flustered as the Hawks had an easy time taking the ball back into their possession and driving it up the court with extreme speed.
Each week that goes by allows the team to grow and strengthen the weaknesses they may not have been aware of at the beginning of the season.
The West Valley game was the best game of the season so far for the Hawks and was a collective team effort. The team was able to conflict with the Eagle’s offense and was strong in their defensive setups.
Leading the Hawks’ backcourt, Kiefer and Simon made a strong duo for the Hawks and changed the pace of the offense.
Difficulties arose throughout the course of the game.
“Trying to create our own energy, the gym was really quiet, and no one was there,” Kiefer said.
On the other hand, she believes the strengths were extremely prominent.
“We ran a new defense, and it worked really well against West Valley, and we did a good job transitioning from offense to defense,” Kiefer said.
The team has seen massive improvement since the beginning of the season, and players say especially in communication. Even if it’s not specifically through verbal communication, the players have strong chemistry that allows them to know what their next move is based solely on their actions.
Stealing the ball back quickly when the Eagles were on offense was a major component in the Hawks’ victory against West Valley.
The Hawks’ next game will be hosted at Lakeland High School, where the team will be playing 7 p.m. Dec. 8 at Lewiston.
