South Hamilton felt the wrath of the latter here Friday night.

More than half of the Hawks’ 41 shots came from behind the arc and they connected on just 5 of 21 in a humbling 52-25 loss to HOIC foe Gilbert.

The Tigers, who poured it on in the second half after leading 23-10 at the intermission, happily sat back in a zone defense and watched South Hamilton chuck it up from deep. Playing right into Gilbert’s hands translated into just four fouls on the hosts and zero free throw attempts for the visitors.

“The three ball is kind of the easy way out against a zone defense and we took the easy way out way too often,” South Hamilton head coach Mark Henderson said. “We have some girls that we want to shoot 3’s, but only after it gets into the post.”

South Hamilton’s Marla Grubb (33) puts up a shot in a crowd during the first half on Friday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Only a handful of South Hamilton’s attempts came from inside the lane, a big reason why it shot just 24 percent (10 of 41).

Gilbert (5-8, 4-5 HOIC) also owned — seriously owned, actually — the glass and built up a 44-16 rebounding edge. A whopping 20 of those caroms came off the offensive glass and led to a slew of second-chance points that only added to South Hamilton’s problems.

Ellen Sneller led all scorers with 16 points, most of which came on second-chance opportunities for the Gilbert 6-foot senior center who also yanked down 10 caroms.

“(Sneller) had 11 (points) at halftime and I can’t think of too many of them that weren’t off second-chance points,” Henderson said. “It was frustrating because I thought we’d been playing better, but (Friday night) we kind of accepted it in the second half.”

Xary Nunez-Hiraldo added 14 points for the Tigers, six coming in a span of 10 seconds late in the third quarter on a triple from the wing, followed by a quick steal and traditional three-point play.

South Hamilton’s MaKayla Tapper (21) and Rylee Woodall (back) go to the floor to battle Gilbert’s Sarah Hinners for a loose ball on Friday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Anna Moss led South Hamilton (0-11, 0-9 HOIC) with eight points. The junior accounted for all five of the Hawks first-quarter points on a trey and steal and layup. She registered three steals and three assists.

Taylor Ratzke came off the bench to drain a pair of 3’s in the fourth quarter for her six points. Marla Grubb also had six points.

Breanne Diersen didn’t reach the scoring column, but her energy and team-high six rebounds caught the attention of Henderson.

“Breanne Diersen fought hard the whole game, but I don’t know if anyone else can say that,” Henderson said.

Gilbert 52, South Hamilton 25

South Hamilton guard Anna Moss (5) first up a 3-pointer during the first half against Gilbert on Friday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Friday at Gilbert

South Hamilton (0-11, 0-9 HOIC) — Brittany Spindler 0 0-0 0, Rylee Woodall 1 0-0 3, Anna Moss 3 0-0 8, Breanne Diersen 0 0-0 0, Taylor Volkmann 0 0-0 0, MaKayla Tapper 0 0-0 0, Autymn Olson 0 0-0 0, Bree Hodnefield 1 0-0 2, Taylor Ratzke 2 0-0 6, Marla Grubb 3 0-0 6, Paxton Wicks 0 0-0 0, Jenna Woodall 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 0-0 25.

Gilbert (5-8, 4-5 HOIC) — Kenzie Miller 1 0-0 2, Molly Laws 1 0-0 2, Xary Nunez-Hiraldo 5 1-1 14, Katie Murray 1 0-0 2, Sarah Hinners 6 0-2 12, Jordyn Milhous 2 0-0 4, Ellen Sneller 6 4-5 16. Totals: 22 5-8 52.

So. Hamilton 5 5 7 8 — 25

Gilbert 8 15 18 11 — 52

3-point field goals — SH 5 (Moss 2, Ratzke 2, Woodall); GIL 3 (Nunez-Hiraldo 3). Rebounds — SH 16 (Diersen 6). Steals — SH 9 (Moss 3). Assists — SH 9 (Moss 3, Woodall 2). Team fouls — SH 8, GIL 4. Fouled out — none.