The South Hamilton Hawks basketball teams made the trip into Story County on Tuesday night to take on the Nevada Cubs at Nevada High School. South Hamilton’s girls entered with a 6-0 record, while South Hamilton’s boys entered at 4-1.
The girls game would have an uneasiness surrounding it from the start, as many of the Hawks players were battling illness and fatigue. It showed in the first half, with the sluggish Hawks trailing 17-13 at the halftime break. In the 2nd half, the Hawks got themselves back into the game by willing themselves to the free throw line, and held a 26-23 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter became a back and forth affair, with Nevada getting a late 5-0 run to put them up by 1. Hallee Feaker had the final look for South Hamilton, but it fell short in a 35-34 upset loss. Makena Galetich was named the Jewell Market Player of the Game with 12 points to lead the Hawks.
South Hamilton’s boys would come out of the gate sluggish in the first quarter as well, as four Nevada three-pointers in the frame put the Cubs up 20-5 at the end of the first. However, South Hamilton stormed back in the 2nd quarter, outscoring Nevada 24-14 in the frame and only trailed 34-29 at the halftime break. The Hawks kept it within striking distance throughout much of the 3rd quarter, cutting the lead to 2 points, before an 8-0 Nevada run put the Cubs up 9 headed into the 4th. Both sides would trade buckets in the fourth, but South Hamilton could not get over the hump in the 62-55 loss. Ryland Ubben was the Jewell Market Player of the Game with a game-high 18 points in the loss.
South Hamilton returns to action on Friday night, when they host long-time rivals Roland-Story at South Hamilton High School.