Hawks 2nd at Lynn Moody; Swenson and Thompson champs

Two champions, four finalists and eight place winners propelled the South Hamilton wrestling team to its best result of the season at Saturday’s Lynn Moody Invite in Pocahontas.

The Hawks tallied 137 points to finish behind only champion Woodbury Central (2501⁄2) in the eight-team field.

“It was a total team effort,” South Hamilton head coach Dan Brodie said. “We needed all of the guys we had in the lineup to go out and compete and pick up wins where they could. Finishing second to Woodbury Central, we’ll take that because they’re the real deal.”

Third-ranked (Class 1A) 170-pounder Lane Swenson and fourth-ranked 195-pounder Trevor Thompson picked up individual titles for the Hawks. Brent Greenfield (182) and Colton Willis (220) were second, and Keyton Remsburg (113) placed third.

Swenson pinned his way through the 170-pound bracket. He needed just 58 seconds to dispose of Alta/Aurelia’s Brock Mier in the finals.

Thompson decked two foes and then knocked off Alta/Aurelia’s Brandon Mier, 13-8, in the gold medal round.

“Lane is starting to turn it on and I really like where he’s at,” Brodie said. “This is the point of the year where you have to set your sights on the ultimate goal and take it one match at a time.

“Trevor is battling through an ankle injury and he proved to himself that he can win tough matches against good competition with a sore ankle. That only helps him mentally to prepare for some of these tough matches coming up.”

Hawk boys take down Cubs and Eagles

Three wins in three days isn’t easy, but the South Hamilton boys’ basketball team managed to pull it off.

Following Thursday’s non-conference win over South Hardin, the Hawks knocked off Heart of Iowa Conference foes Nevada and Saydel on back-to-back days Friday and Saturday.

Behind a 13-6 third-quarter spurt, South Hamilton (11-5, 5-3 HOIC) seized control for a 52-44 win over Nevada (8-8, 7-3 HOIC), avenging a loss earlier this season.

“I’m really happy for our guys … and proud of how we competed,” South Hamilton head coach Matt Juber said. “It’s never easy, but we made the plays we needed to down the stretch to get it done.”

Freddie Lewis was the Hawks leading scorer with 12 points and Clayton Ubben produced a double-double — 11 points and 11 rebounds. Carter Hewitt and Austin Busch added eight points each and a combined 12 boards. Kyler Hodnefield did everything — seven points, 11 assists and six caroms.

South Hamilton’s legs were missing on Saturday in a 40-30 win over Saydel (1-9, 0-6 HOIC). The Hawks outscored the Eagles 22-8 in the second half.

“Not much to say after this one,” Juber said. “Three games in three days is tough no matter who you play. The bright spot of the game was obviously the second half.”

Hewitt and Lewis notched 11 points each. Busch chipped in eight more.

Hawk girls see 7-game win streak snapped

The South Hamilton girls’ basketball team saw its seven-game winning streak end on Friday, but the Hawks bounced back and started what they hope will be another surge on Saturday.

A tough first half resulted in a 49-42 loss to Heart of Iowa Conference rival Nevada on Friday, the Hawks first setback since Dec. 22. Less than 24 hours later, South Hamilton (10-7, 4-4 HOIC) answered with a 43-30 win over league foe Saydel.

Nevada (9-8, 7-3 HOIC) outscored South Hamilton 26-11 in the first half and then held on over the final 16 minutes.

“We dug ourselves too big of a hole,” South Hamilton head coach Mark Henderson said. “In the second half we started finding some areas to attack their zone and we were able to make a game of it.”

Makena Galetich rattled off 16 points in the loss. Caleigh Hewitt finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Mackenzy Grady added six points and Emma Lewis had five.

South Hamilton outscored Saydel (2-9, 0-6 HOIC) 29-18 in the second half to pull away on Saturday.

“A win is a win and I believe in celebrating them all, even when it isn’t pretty,” Henderson said. “But this one was a frustrating game for the players, coaches and I’m sure the fans. I have to give our girls a lot of credit though; they played very hard all game.”

Galetich and Paige Evans were both injured in the first half, but others stepped up over the final 16 minutes. Zoey Duns had a strong performance with 10 points and seven rebounds. Hewitt went off for nine points and 10 boards. Lewis kicked in seven points and six caroms, and Tanna Thompson also scored seven points.