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A HILL OF A GAME!

Collin Hill, after 32 points and 14 boards, all that’s left to say is wow. Just ... wow

After getting past East Marshall’s Zaine Leedom (12), South Hamilton senior Collin Hill soars over Zane Johnson (20) to score two of his game-high 32 points in the Hawks’ 53-51 Class 2A substate win on Saturday in Nevada. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

It was no coincidence that Collin Hill was the first South Hamilton player to sprint from one end of the court to the other to mug for the KCCI television camera only seconds after the final horn sounded inside a raucous Nevada High School gymnasium Saturday night.

Why? Because he was the only one chasing the camera. Everyone else was chasing after him.

It was also no coincidence that fans lined up by the dozens to give Hill hugs, or that South Hamilton Athletic Director Todd Coy sought him out when it was time to open up the Class 2A state qualifier banner that went to the Hawks following their nail-biting, not for the faint-hearted 53-51 victory over East Marshall in the substate final.

In a career that’s been loaded with wow moments and dominant performances, Hill’s masterpiece Saturday night might be the best of them all.

No, check that. It is the best of them all. Try to change my mind if you want, but you’d have a better chance of convincing me that the sky isn’t blue.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

With his prep career hanging in the balance, all Hill

did was strap his team to his back and do his best impression of Superman. All he needed were the tights, boots and cape. He was that unstoppable, nearly invincible.

His final line: 32 points, which matched his career high, on 11 of 21 shooting, 14 rebounds, four steals, two assists, one block and zero — repeat, ZERO — turnovers while playing all 32 minutes against a Mustang defense that did everything it could to slow him down.

He wasn’t just good. He wasn’t just great. He was legendary. He accepted the burden of the moment and, at times, single-handedly decimated the Mustangs.

“Big players have to thrive in these games and I just tried to lead this team,” Hill said after he escaped the mob of fans that ascended onto the court after East Marshall’s desperation 25-foot heave at the buzzer clanged off the left side of the rim. “I didn’t want this to be my last game … This is my team. To lead it back to the state tournament, I just did everything in my power to do that.”

It’s not cocky or arrogant for Hill to say that this is his team. It’s a fact and has been since day one of the season. Point guard Marco Balderas makes the team go, but its heartbeat has always been Hill. When the Hawks need a big bucket, it’s Hill who calls the shots. When they need a defensive stop, you better believe he’ll be involved. And when a teammate needs a few words of encouragement, he’s the first one to grab him by the jersey and lift his spirits.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

It was apparent early on that Hill was in the zone Saturday night. He buried his first shot, a 3-pointer from the wing, and had seven points by the end of the first quarter. He was up to 16 points by the intermission.

But in the back-and-forth second half, where both teams had ample opportunities to seize control, it was Hill who made play after play.

East Marshall opened the third quarter by scoring the initial three points to go up 29-26, but here came Hill. A driving bucket, a pair of free throws and a mid-range jumper put South Hamilton back on top. He later added an offensive rebound and tip-in that turned into a three-point play. In all he scored nine of the Hawks’ 14 points in the period.

The Mustangs had the momentum midway through the fourth when they knotted the game at 42. But as their fans stood and stomped, Hill muted them all with a triple from the left wing, and moments later he drove the lane, threw in a one-handed scoop shot and got the foul — another three-point play that made it 48-44 with 4:25 remaining.

“Ninety percent of our game plan was about (Hill),” East Marshall head coach Adam Bauder said afterwards. “He hit a lot more shots than we would have anticipated from the outside, so credit to him, he’s a special player.”

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Nathan Hill teetered on that edge of doting dad and proud coach as he talked about his eldest son after South Hamilton had secured its seventh trip to the state tournament. And it may sound hokey, but he felt all along that this was the destiny — for both player and team.

“I tried to tell him a couple things earlier (on Saturday) and he said, ‘Dad, I’m good.’ He was focused and I could see it all day,” Nathan Hill said. “He was going to do whatever it took to carry the team on his back.”

It was a sight to see, but not unbelievable. When you put a basketball in Collin Hill’s hands, nothing he does will ever surprise me again.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

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