Hamilton Southeastern got off to an outstanding start at North Central on Friday, and that carried the Royals to a 73-57 victory over the Panthers.
Southeastern led 24-5 after the first quarter and maintained the lead from there. The Royals were up 41-25 at halftime. Aaron Etherington scored 23 points for HSE, including four 3-pointers.
Noah Smith reached double-double status with 13 assists and 11 points; he also made four steals. Mabor Majak added 11 points and blocked two shots. Chris Grubbs collected seven rebounds, with Kole Hornbuckle pulling six rebounds.
Southeastern is undefeated at 5-0. The Royals will play Culver Academy at 5 p.m. today at the FORUM Tipoff Classic at Southport.
Southeastern 73, North Central 57
Southeastern FG FT TP PF
Aaron Etherington 9-16 1-1 23 4
Chris Kottlowski 0-0 0-0 0 1
Vinny Buccilla 2-3 0-0 6 0
Cam Harris 0-0 0-0 0 1
Kole Hornbuckle 2-7 3-3 7 2
Noah Smith 5-10 1-3 11 2
Chris Grubbs 4-8 0-1 8 3
Landon Morris 3-5 1-3 7 0
Mabor Majak 5-8 1-2 11 2
Totals 30-57 7-13 73 15
Score by Quarters
North Central 5 20 17 15 – 57
Southeastern 24 17 15 17 – 73
Southeastern 3-point shooting (6-17) Etherington 4-8, Buccilla 2-3, Hornbuckle 0-4, Smith 0-1. Grubbs 0-1.
Southeastern rebounds (28) Grubbs 7, Hornbuckle 6, Etherington 4, Majak 4, Smith 3, Kottlowski 1, Buccilla 1, Miller 1, Morris 1.