The South Hamilton Hawks basketball teams made the southern trek into Jasper County on Friday night, to take on the Mustangs of PCM in Heart of Iowa Conference action. The South Hamilton girls entered with a 7-1 record and a 4-1 record in conference play, while the South Hamilton boys entered at 5-2 and 3-2 in conference play.
Friday’s opener was a close contest throughout as the #11 Hawks were stuck in a back and forth affair in the first half, as PCM led 17-15 after the first quarter, but South Hamilton fought back to grab a 30-29 halftime lead. The Hawks were able to extend the lead ever so slightly, to 42-40 going into the 4th quarter, where timely buckets from Hallee Feaker and free throws helped the Hawks sink the Mustangs 53-48. Hallee Feaker was the Jewell Market Player of the Game with 23 points and 10 rebounds, Addison Steenhoek led PCM with 21 points.
Matt Juber’s squad followed with a lightning fast start against the struggling Mustangs, leading 16-7 after the first quarter. PCM’s offense began to wake up in the 2nd quarter, but the Hawks kept the intensity on, holding a 31-16 halftime lead. The energy only ramped up in the 3rd quarter, as South Hamilton looked to pull away with a 50-26 lead. However, a big 4th quarter from PCM’s Jacob Wendt forced the Hawks to keep the foot on the gas, as they held onto a 62-48 victory. Ryland Ubben was the Jewell Market Player of the Game with 15 points and 6 rebounds, PCM’s Jacob Wendt had a monster night with a game-high 27 points and 19 rebounds.