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3-PEAT! HAWKS CLINCH ANOTHER HOIC TITLE

Hot start, Balvanz in paint help SH crush Nevada by 33 points

South Hamilton players, managers and coaches pose for a group photo after the fourth-ranked (Class 2A) Hawks wrapped up their third straight Heart of Iowa Conference championship with a 75-42 romp over Nevada Tuesday night in Jewell. Photo/Angela Hewitt

JEWELL — Winning championships never gets old.

Fourth-ranked (Class 2A) South Hamilton wrapped up its third consecutive Heart of Iowa Conference crown and fourth in six years in front of the home crowd Tuesday night by easily disposing of Nevada, 75-42, on Coach Jim Marsh Court.

After spending much of the regular season playing catch up following a mid-December loss to Gilbert, the Hawks moved into the driver’s seat by dispatching the Tigers on Saturday. And after a 25-4 first-quarter run against Nevada on Tuesday, South Hamilton (18-1, 13-1 HOIC) was able to spend the final 24 minutes thinking about where the new hardware will be positioned in the trophy case.

“I was very proud of our team for coming out ready to play,” South Hamilton head coach Nathan Hill said. “We didn’t have a letdown after our big win Saturday night. You always worry a little bit, especially with it being Senior Night, but these guys wanted the conference title all to themselves for the third straight year.”

Cade Balvanz, a junior center, dominated in the paint with 20 points and five rebounds. Logan Peters had another solid all-around effort with 13 points and three steals, Cole Berg showcased his versatility with 11 points and seven rebounds, and Conner Hill played the role of facilitator with seven assists to go along with nine points. Quinton Grove added seven points and six boards.

Cade Balvanz (right) dribbles towards the lane against Nevada on Tuesday. He scored 20 points in South Hamilton’s 75-42 win. Photo/Angela Hewitt

“Cade Balvanz was the one with the hot hand inside (and) we did a good job of getting him the ball on the block,” Nathan Hill said. “I thought Cole Berg did a really good job of being aggressive and attacking the basket.”

South Hamilton blistered the nets by making 11 of 13 first-quarter shots, and on the other end of the spectrum was Nevada (8-12, 5-9 HOIC), which went just 1 of 11 from the floor during the opening eight minutes.

The Hawks shot 57 percent overall, 63 percent from inside the arc.

South Hamilton led 36-16 at the half and 54-30 after three quarters.

Tyler Sansgaard led the Cubs with 11 points.

With one goal already checked off, the Hawks will now look to finish the regular season with 20 victories. They’ll travel to Carroll tonight to take on Kuemper and will then stay at home to host Iowa Falls-Alden on Monday.

South Hamilton 75, Nevada 42

Tuesday at Jewell

Nevada (8-12, 5-9 HOIC) — Jacob Sanders 0 0-0 0, Brayden Bottorf 2 3-5 8, Chase Lycke 0 0-0 0, Devin See 0 0-0 0, Thomas Crawford 0 0-3 0, Kody Kruschwitz 2 0-0 4, Tyler Sansgaard 4 0-1 11, Brock Dutton 1 1-2 3, Ayden Rhodes 0 0-2 0, Henry Nelson 4 1-1 9, Jack Cahill 3 1-2 7, Cooper Bovee 0 0-0 0, Jarrett Fredin 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 6-16 42.

South Hamilton (18-1, 13-1 HOIC) — Brock Galetich 2 0-0 4, Aaron Hegland 0 0-0 0, Carter Hewitt 0 1-2 1, Cole Berg 5 0-0 11, Sam Lewis 2 0-2 4, Doran Lutjen 3 0-0 6, Logan Peters 5 3-5 13, Quinton Grove 3 1-2 7, Freddie Lewis 0 0-0 0, Kyler Hodnefield 0 0-0 0, Ty Skartvedt 0 0-0 0, Conner Hill 4 1-2 9, Cade Balvanz 7 6-6 20, Cade Flaugh 0 0-0 0. Totals: 31 12-19 75.

Nevada 4 12 14 12 — 42

S. Hamilton 25 11 18 21 — 75

3-point field goals — NEV 4 (Sansgaard 3, Bottorf); SH 1 (Berg). Rebounds — SH 36 (Berg 7, Grove 6). Steals — SH 9 (Peters 3). Assists — SH 18 (Hill 7). Turnovers — SH 14. Team fouls — NEV 17, SH 17. Fouled out — none.

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