Hawks mash Mavs, 69-53
TEXARKANA, Texas — Although Marshall made a slight comeback in the second half, Pleasant Grove’s perimeter shooting and backside rebounding was too much for its visitors Tuesday night.
The Hawks beat the Mavericks in a non-district contest at Hawk Gym, 69-53.
“I’m pleased with the win but there’s a few things we need to clean up before Friday,” Pleasant Grove coach Dwight McCowan said. “We were getting beat with our backside rebounding early, so I’m glad we were able to regroup after halftime.”
PG held Marshall scoreless throughout much of the final quarter. The Mavs first points of the quarter came on a layup by NiDerrick Lewis with 3:00 left in the period.
“Last season, after we lost to Chapel Hill, I feel the guys returning locked in from that day,” McCowan said. “We’ve been focused and the guys are working hard.
“Hopefully, we can continue to carry some of this momentum into the break.”
Marshall opened the second half scoring three consecutive buckets, cutting into the Hawks lead, 39-32, with 5:25 in the third period.
T’Vonderick Henry led the Hawks with 17 points, three steals and two blocks, while teammate Torey Phillips added 14 points with seven rebounds.
The Mavs were able to put together a consecutive runs to cut into the Hawks lead before intermission, 36-27.
Pleasant Grove won the turnover battle in the first half, committing four while forcing eight.
Jaedon Knox led Marshall with 16 points and teammate Jayson Tuck added eight points.
Both teams swapped turnovers to begin the game before the Hawks clamped down to score 14 unanswered in the first period, 20-6.
Tre’Von Smith and Cohen Cade each poured in eight points apiece for the Hawks in the rout.
Pleasant Grove beat Marshall in the junior varsity game, 48-37.
John Luke Angier scored 20 points for the Hawks.
PG is back in action on Friday, traveling to Pine Tree.
“We’re on the road with Pine Tree and Jefferson to finish the week out,” McCowan said. “Those are two good programs, so we’re going to have to be ready to play from the opening tip. We can’t come out sluggish. We’ll fix some things we see on film and be ready for our games this weekend.”