The South Hamilton Hawks girls and boys basketball team opened their home season on Thursday night, as they welcomed in the Cadets of Iowa Falls-Alden to South Hamilton High School. The South Hamilton girls defeated IF-A last season in Iowa Falls, while the boys came away with a loss.
The South Hamilton girls got off to a fast start against the Cadets, leading 18-4 after the first quarter. The Cadets would make a charge in the 2nd quarter, cutting the lead to as little as 6, but the Hawks would push the lead back to 14 by halftime. South Hamilton would ride the duo of Hallee Feaker and Makena Galetich in the 2nd half to a 57-36 win. Feaker would finish with 26 points, while Galetich added 15 points.
The boys game that followed would be a back and forth affair between the Hawks and Cadets. South Hamilton would open up a 13-7 lead over the Cadets at the end of the first quarter, but a hot shooting 2nd quarter from Iowa Falls-Alden gave them a 27-25 halftime lead. The Cadets would keep the Hawks at bay in the 3rd quarter with a 3-point advantage going into the 4th, however, an offensive explosion from South Hamilton that included 28 points in the 4th quarter, propelled Matt Juber’s squad to a 69-60 win over Iowa Falls-Alden.
Junior Reece Ricke held a breakout performance, finishing with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal, and South Hamilton as a team shot 10-of-22 from three-point range. The Hawks return to action on Friday night as they travel to Perry for their Heart of Iowa Conference opener.