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No. 10 Hawks shaky in second half, still handle Greene County by 14

Lewis, Ubben and Busch all score in double figures

South Hamilton sophomore Landon Grove puts up a jumper on the run during the first half against Greene County on Tuesday in Jewell. He scored three points in the Hawks’ 51-37 victory. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

JEWELL — There was a different, more subdued demeanor inside the South Hamilton locker room following its third consecutive double-digit victory in as many outings Tuesday night.

The smiles, laughter and high-fives that were present following wins over South Central Calhoun and Iowa Falls-Alden last week were replaced with stoic expressions after the Hawks were forced to gut out a closer-than-expected 51-37 victory over Heart of Iowa Conference rival Greene County on Coach Jim Marsh Court.

It wasn’t pretty, it just wasn’t. After storming out to a 20-5 lead after one quarter and leading by as many as 26 points in the first half, 10th-ranked (Class 2A) South Hamilton was limited to just 13 second-half points. Frustrations mounted too, particularly late when an overmatched Greene County squad was able to get under the skin of the Hawks.

The positive is that it was a learning experience, head coach Matt Juber said.

“We played a pretty good first half of basketball, but for whatever reason, the second half just didn’t go our way,” he said. “It’s a situation where we’ve got to control what we can control and figure out how to rise above them.

Austin Busch (14) and Carter Hewitt (11) battle for a rebound on Tuesday in Jewell. They combined for 23 caroms in 10th-ranked (Class 2A) South Hamilton’s 51-37 victory over Greene County. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“We’re still South Hamilton with the tradition and success we’ve had, and we’ve got to understand that we’re going to get everybody’s best shot. When that adversity hits, when things get a little chippy, we’ve got to find that willpower to come together as a unit on the floor and work through things. It’s something we’ll continue to work on and we’ll grow.”

South Hamilton’s irritations were exacerbated by the fact that there was an invisible lid on the rim throughout the game. The Hawks shot just 31 percent overall (20 of 65), including 16 percent from behind the 3-point arc (3 of 19). It was even a struggle at the free throw line — 8 of 17 (47 percent).

Greene County (0-2, 0-1 HOIC) had an even tougher time offensively — 30 percent overall (15 of 50) and a dismal 1 of 20 (5 percent) from long range.

Freddie Lewis led South Hamilton with 11 points, three assists and two steals. Clayton Ubben and Austin Busch added 11 and 10 points, respectively, as well as a combined 17 rebounds. The Rams repeatedly sent two and three defenders at Carter Hewitt in the post, resulting in just six points for the 6-foot-6 center, but he did collect a game-high 14 rebounds. Landen Skartvedt chipped in seven points.

Greene County’s Bryce Stadler led all scorers with 15 points.

South Hamilton’s Chase Friest powers up a short jumper from the baseline against Greene County on Tuesday in Jewell. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

South Hamilton took command with a 17-2 run over the final 31⁄2 minutes of the first quarter. The Hawks turned aggressive defense into instant offense to build the lead, and it continued to grow in the second period. Juber was able to substitute liberally over the final three minutes, as it appeared his team was well on its way to a blowout win.

But the second half was a different story.

Greene County went to a zone defense and it stopped South Hamilton in its tracks. Quick shots from the outside that didn’t fall allowed the Rams to slowly whittle down the margin, and the visitors opened the period on an 8-0 run.

A Lewis triple from the right wing with 2:03 remaining was the Hawks’ lone field goal of the third period.

Greene County twice closed to within 12 in the fourth.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“We took the bait offensively too, settling for some quick shots or possessions where we didn’t make the defense work enough,” Juber said. “A reality check or wake-up call, whatever you want to call it, it’s always good for us coaches and the kids. We played two really good games last week, but complacency is a killer. We got lulled into the game they wanted to play in the second half.”

South Hamilton will face another stiff non-conference test on Friday when it hosts longtime 2A power Van Meter at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs (2-0) won their first two contests by an average of 47 points.

S. Hamilton 51, Greene County 37

Tuesday at Jewell

Greene County (0-2, 0-1 HOIC) — Max Riley 1 1-2 3, Caden Telleen 2 0-0 4, Bryce Stadler 6 2-3 15, Zach Goff 2 1-2 5, Richard Daugherty 4 1-2 9, Brayden Roberts 0 1-2 1. Totals: 15 6-11 37.

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

South Hamilton (3-0, 1-0 HOIC) — Freddie Lewis 5 0-0 11, Tycin Barkema 0 0-0 0, Carter Hewitt 1 4-9 6, Austin Busch 5 0-0 10, Landen Skartvedt 3 0-0 7, Kyler Hodnefield 0 1-2 1, Chase Friest 1 0-0 2, Landon Grove 1 0-0 3, Carter Balvanz 0 0-0 0, Aiden Johnson 0 0-0 0, Clayton Ubben 4 3-6 11. Totals: 20 8-17 51.

Greene Cty. 5 11 10 11 — 37

S. Hamilton 20 18 4 9 — 51

3-point field goals — GC 1 (Stadler); SH 3 (Lewis, Skartvedt, Grove). Rebounds — SH 50 (Hewitt 14, Busch 9, Ubben 8). Steals — SH 5 (Lewis 2, Hodnefield 2). Assists — SH 9 (Lewis 3, Hewitt 2). Turnovers — SH 14. Team fouls — GC 18, SH 12. Fouled out — GC: Goff.

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