Watkins, Wolves shut down Bears
PEARCY — Facing a Sylvan Hills team that scored 87 points in a season-opening win over Kirby, Lake Hamilton coach Scotty Pennington knew his team would have to play standout defense to have a chance.
The Wolves answered the call, limiting the Bears to 11 points or fewer in every quarter for a 60-46 win in the final day Lake Hamilton Classic tournament Saturday at Wolf Arena.
“We knew what they had going, but we felt like if we played them some man-to-man (defense), then we could stop them,” Pennington said. “We were able to stay in front of them so they couldn’t drive and kick out for threes. We contested their shots really well, and I thought we blocked out really well for the most part.”
Lake Hamilton set the tone for the rest of the game with an early run sparked by Mondo Watkins. The junior scored Lake Hamilton’s first seven points while Lane Kersey buried a three-pointer to give the Wolves an early 10-1 lead.
Sylvan Hills stormed back to pull within 16-11 at the end of the first quarter, but Lake Hamilton never surrendered its lead.
“We hadn’t really gotten off to starts like that; this was the first time we really came out of the gate well and it was big,” said Pennington. “We’re one of those teams that when we have a lead, we protect it pretty well. When we got off to a start like that, I liked our chances.”
Zion Butler scored six points in the second quarter as the Bears trimmed the gap to 27-22, but the Wolves stormed back with a run of their own. Clyde Hill scored four straight points and Lake Hamilton closed on an
8-0 run to take a 35-22 halftime lead.
The Wolves rode a 7- 0 third-quarter run to a 45-32 advantage, Sabby Vinson with a three-point basket. Sylvan Hills never recovered in the fourth, Lake Hamilton maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the quarter to secure the win.
Watkins led all scorers with
16 points while Kersey finished with 12, Hill had 11 and Kanaan Williams scored eight. Caleb Campbell paced the Bears with nine points.
Lake Hamilton ( 3-1) hosts Hope on Nov. 28 at Wolf Arena.
“We feel like the schedule we’ve played so far has been
good for us,” Pennington said. “We’re trying to test our kids, because we feel like in our league this year, we have a chance to have a special team. Everybody other than us and Camden (Fairview) lost a lot. We feel like it’s our turn now.”
Girls
Conway had five players score at least six points in Saturday’s matchup with Lake Hamilton, but its defense may have been even more impressive.
The Lady Wampus Cats held Lake Hamilton to 19 points in the first half, forcing 19 turnovers in a 72-56 win at Wolf Arena.
“That’s what they do; they’re so athletic, and they get you playing faster,” Lake Hamilton coach Blake Condley said. “They’re going to trap you and try and speed you up. We had balls going off our hands and out of bounds. They had seen us play the last couple days, and they knew who our shooters were. That’s going to help us be better.”
Trailing 62- 33 after three quarters, the Lady Wolves proved they still had a run left in them in the final frame. Hannah Walker scored 13 points, connecting on two three-pointers as Lake Hamilton outscored Conway 23-10 down the stretch to set the final margin.
“That’s just these kids; they enjoy practicing hard, and they enjoy playing hard,” said Condley. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going to make mistakes, but we’re going to be resilient and come back from it stronger.”
The Lady Wampus Cats rode a 14-1 run to an early 14-3 lead in the first quarter. After two quick treys from Lake Hamilton’s Taylor Wells, Myia Yelder beat the buzzer from behind the arc as Conway settled with a 17-9 advantage.
While the Lady Wolves struggled to find a rhythm offensively, the Lady Wampus Cats broke the game open in the second quarter. Jordan Pickens, Asiyah Smith and Cardina Nolen combined for 15 points as Conway stretched its lead to 43-19 at the half.
The Lady Wolves hit just two shots in the second quarter, scoring five of their 10 points at the free throw line.
Grace Tedder scored seven points for Lake Hamilton in the third, but Smith and Kyja Chapman scored six points each, giving Conway a commanding 62-33 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Yelder led all scorers with 16 points while Smith finished with
13 and Chapman had 12. Walker paced the Lady Wolves with
13 points, and Tedder finished with 12 points.
Lake Hamilton ( 2- 2) will host Hope on Nov. 28.
“We just want to keep getting better and better, and games like this will help us do that,” Condley said. “It got out of hand on the scoreboard, but I’m proud of my girls for continuing to play and trying to do things that we talked about. Hopefully, we’ll be better because of it.”