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Hawks break out of slump, thump Saydel by 26

DES MOINES — Back-to-back Heart of Iowa Conference losses, followed by a sluggish first half Tuesday night were cause for concern for the South Hamilton boys’ basketball team.

Uh oh, here we go again? Not at all.

The Hawks crept out of their funk over the final 16 minutes, as they outscored Saydel 36-12 en route to a 53-27 victory.

“No matter who you’re playing, it’s always nice to go on the road and get a win in the conference,” South Hamilton head coach Matt Juber said. “Obviously we’ve been struggling as of late, so we needed this one for our confidence.

“Our first half was a little sluggish. In the second half I told the guys that we had to turn up the heat and try to get our motor running defensively, and the guys came out and did a better job of dictating and forcing some turnovers.”

South Hamilton (8-4, 7-2 HOIC) was outscored 11-9 in the second quarter by the Eagles (1-13, 0-8 HOIC) and took a slim 17-15 lead into the break.

But any hope Saydel had of picking up its first league win and ending a long losing streak evaporated following a 20-4 third-quarter run by South Hamilton.

Cade Balvanz put up a double-double — 12 points and 10 rebounds — in the win. Doran Lutjen led all scorers with 14 points, and Freddie Lewis turned in a strong performance with nine points and seven rebounds. Kyler Hodnefield chipped in seven points to go along with four steals and three assists. Lutjen and Quinton Grove also dished out three assists.

Kobe Moriarty led Saydel with eight points. The Eagles have lost 13 consecutive contests since a season-opening win over Coon Rapids-Bayard way back on Dec. 3.

South Hamilton’s win, coupled with Gilbert’s 63-55 loss to Roland-Story on Tuesday forged a tie at the top of the HOIC standings. The co-leaders will meet on Friday in Jewell.

South Hamilton beat Gilbert, 64-59, when the two teams met in Gilbert on Dec. 20.

South Hamilton 53, Saydel 27

Tuesday at Des Moines

South Hamilton (8-4, 7-2 HOIC) — Brock Galetich 1 0-0 2, Aaron Hegland 1 0-0 3, Carter Hewitt 1 1-2 3, Tycin Barkema 0 0-0 0, Sam McNally 0 0-0 0, Doran Lutjen 6 0-0 14, Ty Skartvedt 0 0-0 0, Austin Busch 0 0-0 0, Quinton Grove 1 0-0 3, Freddie Lewis 4 0-0 9, Kyler Hodnefield 3 0-1 7, Nic Flaugh 0 0-0 0, Cade Balvanz 6 0-0 12, Cade Flaugh 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 1-3 53.

Saydel (1-13, 0-8 HOIC) — Kobe Moriarty 4 0-0 8, Camden Lo 2 1-4 5, Austin Maeder 2 0-0 5, Dakota Ellsworth 1 2-2 4, Nick Garrison 1 0-4 2, Mason Hicks 1 0-0 3, Chaise Martin 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 3-10 27.

S. Ham. 8 9 20 16 — 53

Saydel 4 11 4 8 — 27

3-point field goals — SH 6 (Lutjen 2, Hegland, Grove, Lewis, Hodnefield); Saydel 2 (Maeder, Hicks). Rebounds — SH 42 (Balvanz 10, Lewis 7). Steals — SH 8 (Hodnefield 4). Assists — SH 14 (Lutjen 3, Grove 3, Hodnefield 3). Turnovers — SH 10. Team fouls — SH 12, Saydel 9. Fouled out — none.

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