Heritage Hall defense sparks blowout Friday
The Heritage Hall student section broke into chants for fan favorite Melvin Swindle to enter the game before the third quarter had ended — a sign of just how easy Friday’s Class 4A semifinal was for the Chargers.
Swindle, a 6-foot-2 freshman, thrilled the crowd with a fourth-quarter layup to aid the 80-43 rout of Roland at State Fair Arena, but it was the usual suspects who sent the Chargers into Saturday’s championship game.
Senior Jon Matthews had 19 points, and freshman Trey Alexander had 18 among four Heritage Hall players in double figures.
They all contributed to a strong start, which saw the Chargers take a 40-15 halftime advantage while forcing 18 Roland turnovers.
“We had a lot of energy,” Heritage Hall coach Chris Hamilton said. “When we defend, shots come. Defense creates our offense. We wanted to speed them up, because we knew they wanted to play a certain pace.
“Everybody knew their assignments and defended really well.”
Roland (24-4) was led by Jaxon Wiggins with nine points, and Darrius Phillips had seven.
Blake Horrell had 12 points, and Michael McLaughlin had 11 for the Chargers (22-5), who are seeking their second state title in the last four years.
Heritage Hall outscored Roland 32-12 in the third quarter, allowing Hamilton to send his starters to the bench before the fourth quarter began.
“We were able to get them off the floor a little early (Thursday), too,” Hamilton said. “All rest is good rest at this point. We depend a lot on our top three guys, so it’s good to get them off their feet.”