The South Hamilton Hawks basketball teams returned to home basketball action on Friday night, as they welcome the Nevada Cubs to Coach Jim Marsh Court at South Hamilton High School in Heart of Iowa Conference action. The South Hamilton girls entered with a 14-2 record and 9-1 in the conference, while the South Hamilton boys entered with a 7-7 record and 5-5 in the conference.
Mark Henderson’s girls squad would face an uphill climb, as star guard Makena Galetich would miss the game due to an injury and starter Kailyn Northrop missed the game with an illness. This combination, as well as Hallee Feaker foul trouble, saw the Hawks trail 15-3 after the first, but cut to just 26-17 at a halftime. The Hawks continued to battle, eventually tying the game in the 3rd quarter, but the Nevada offense woke back up to take a 43-34 lead going into the fourth. The fourth quarter saw 2 controversial fouls on Hallee Feaker, which would end her night, and the Cubs put the finishing touches on the 56-40 upset. Bridget Cahill led the Cubs with 25 points, while Ashlyn Erickson added a season-high 16 points for South Hamilton.
The boys game followed as the Hawks looked to extract some revenge against a Nevada team they nearly stole a road win from back in December, however, the Cubs would lead 14-9 after the first quarter, extended to 26-19 at halftime. Nevada appeared poised to pull away in the 2nd half, leading by as much as 13 early in the 4th quarter. South Hamilton would not go quietly, with Landon Skartvedt and Ryland Ubben helping to spark a furious rally late in the game, fighting back to make it a one-possession game at 58-56. Skartvedt had a shot to tie the game that bounced long off the rim, and Nevada sealed the game at the free throw line with a 60-56 win.
South Hamilton returns to action on Tuesday night, as they travel to Roland-Story to take on the Norsemen in Heart of Iowa Conference action.