They recall the unrelenting pressure, the 32-8 halftime deficit and the 25-point loss to Collins-Maxwell to open the 2020-21 basketball season. It wasn’t any fun and, yeah, a little embarrassing.

“Last year we were young and it was tough,” Galetich said.

The Hawks may still be youngish but, in a way, they’re all grown up.

They returned the favor to Collins-Maxwell Tuesday night, too.

South Hamilton guard Hallee Feaker (12) buries a first-quarter 3-pointer over Collins-Maxwell’s Chloe Wierson (21) on Tuesday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Playing an entertaining hair-on-fire style, South Hamilton oozed confidence and aggression in a 59-23 pasting of the Spartans on Coach Jim Marsh Court. The Hawks led 17-2 just 4 minutes in, 20-6 after one quarter and 36-10 at the half.

It was 32 minutes of whoa.

“It definitely motivated me a little bit knowing they beat us that bad last year,” Hewitt, who buried the first and second baskets of the game from the paint and was one of three Hawks to score in double figures with 10 points, said. “It fired up some of the girls on the court.”

And it’s not like this was a completely new Collins-Maxwell team. Sisters Alexis and Eric Houge combined for 24 points in the 2020 meeting, but they had just eight points on 3 of 24 shooting, including 0 of 10 from behind the 3-point arc, on Tuesday. Erica Houge was coming off a 32-point outburst in the Spartans’ season-opening 57-32 win over Woodward-Granger four days earlier.

But South Hamilton’s in-your-face defense and ball-hawking mentality never allowed the sisters to get comfortable. The Hawks piled up 19 steals and forced 27 turnovers, which turned what head coach Mark Henderson felt would be a close game into a runaway.

South Hamilton forward Ashlyn Erickson (4) battles Collins-Maxwell’s Chloe Wierson (21) for a rebound Tuesday night in Jewell. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“I told the girls all week that I thought it was going to be a four-quarter game because Collins-Maxwell has athletes,” Henderson said. “But our girls really came out with a ton of energy and just fed off it.”

Galetich and backcourt mate Hallee Feaker both had monster performances, as they combined for 29 points, 12 steals, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Feaker scored seven first-quarter points and finished with 14 to go along with seven steals and five assists. Galetich took over in the middle quarters with 12 of her game-high 15 points in the second and third, and she also put up eight rebounds, five steals and five assists.

It was the first time that Feaker, a junior, and Galetich, a sophomore, have played together on the varsity court. Feaker missed almost all of last season with a knee injury, and when she returned in February Galetich was sidelined with her own knee injury.

But Tuesday was just the start of what could be a beautiful on-court friendship.

“For my first game back, that’s a very good one to start with,” Feaker said. “Last year we talked about how much fun it was going to be to play together and when we finally started to play together this summer, I never thought I would connect with players more than Ashlyn (Erickson) and Makena. We can just feed off of each other so well. It’s awesome.”

South Hamilton sophomore guard Makena Galetich (facing) scraps for a loose ball during the first half against Collins-Maxwell Tuesday night in Jewell. She scored a game-high 15 points in the Hawks 59-23 romp over the Spartans. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Erickson, a sophomore forward, may not have had the overall numbers of her teammates, but she was dominant in her own way with seven points and six rebounds. Always around the ball, she neutralized a lot of what the Spartans wanted to do offensively.

“The word I use to describe Ash is relentless,” Henderson said. “She’s a fighter, she’s a competitor, and when she wants to get the ball she’s going to get the ball. And I think there are nights where she’s going to score a lot of points.”

Grace Neuberger added six points in the win, and Mackenzy Grady canned one of the Hawks’ six 3-pointers to go along with a game-high nine rebounds. Hewitt pulled down six caroms, as South Hamilton owned a 47-31 edge on the glass.

It wasn’t all perfect though. The Hawks’ frantic pace did get messy at times, particularly in the second quarter, and they finished with 21 turnovers. Still, Henderson knows he’s going to have to accept some mistakes in the up-and-down style.

“If we’re going to let them play, then we’re going to have to live with some of those (turnovers), and with this group we have to let them play,” he said. “The kind of athletes we have, they want to get up and down and they have more fun that way. You just hope you can eliminate the silly ones.”

South Hamilton forward Caleigh Hewitt (22) knocks down a short jumper over Collins-Maxwell’s Erica Houge (23) in the first quarter on Tuesday. Hewitt scored 10 points in the game. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

The fast pace certainly fits the Hawks’ mentality.

“Quick, crazy defense and then hopefully get fast break points,” Galetich said. “That’s what we want to do.”

Chloe Wierson led Collins-Maxwell with nine points, seven rebounds and four steals.

S. Hamilton 59, Col-Maxwell 23

Tuesday at Jewell

Collins-Maxwell (1-1) — Avery Fricke 0 0-0 0, Alexis Houge 0 0-0 0, Jane’e Jones 0 2-4 2, Kenzi Wierson 1 0-2 3, Marisa Boege 1 0-0 2, Chloe Wierson 4 1-1 9, Erica Houge 3 2-7 8. Totals: 9 5-14 23.

South Hamilton (1-0) — Makena Galetich 5 3-3 15, Ashlyn Erickson 2 3-4 7, Paige Evans 0 0-0 0, Hallee Feaker 4 4-7 14, Kailyn Northrop 0 0-0 0, Caleigh Hewitt 4 1-2 10, Mackenzy Grady 1 0-0 3, Grace Neuberger 3 0-0 6, Madison Beaune 1 0-0 2, Mercedes Beaune 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 11-16 59.

C-Maxwell 6 4 3 10 — 23

S. Hamilton 20 16 9 14 — 59

3-point field goals — SH 6 (Galetich 2, Feaker 2, Hewitt, Grady). Rebounds — C-M 31 (K. Wierson 7); SH 47 (Grady 9, Galetich 8, Erickson 6, Hewitt 6). Steals — C-M 13 (K. Wierson 4); SH 19 (Feaker 7, Galetich 5). Assists — C-M 5 (A. Houge); SH 14 (Galetich 5, Feaker 4, Grady 4). Turnovers — C-M 27, SH 21. Team fouls — C-M 14, SH 16. Fouled out — none.