By RICHIE HALL
ARCADIA – The first game of the New Year handed Hamilton Heights some adversity, but the Huskies proved they could handle it.
Heights hosted Northwestern Friday in a Hoosier Conference East Division game. It was a back-and-forth contest, one where the Huskies were missing one of their starters. But Heights pulled it out, playing solid fourth-quarter defense to get a 45-42 win over the Tigers.
Huskies coach Chad Ballenger noted that it was his team’s first game back from the holidays. Heights hadn’t played a game since Dec. 22.
“We’re tired, just trying to get back at it,” said Ballenger. “But I thought we got better over Christmas. We had a really good stretch over Christmas break in practice. It paid off.”
The Huskies fell behind 7-4 in the first quarter before making a 7-0 run. Isaac Tuma scored four points, with Braden Kinder hitting a 3-pointer in between. Kinder wound up with nine points during that period, which ended with Heights ahead 13-9.
Two more Huskies players made 3s in the second quarter. Luke Carroll’s triple put Heights ahead 16-11 and Evan Williamson’s 3 got the Huskies up 19-13. But Northwestern finished the period with a 10-2 run and led 23-21 at halftime.
Kinder scored all eight of Heights’ points in the third period, and the Tigers scored eight as well, so Northwestern led 31-29 going into the fourth. The Tigers made a free throw for the first point of the quarter, but the Huskies blasted off on a 10-0 run to take a 39-29 lead.
Williamson nailed a 3 to tie the game, then Carroll put Heights ahead for good with a layin. Carroll then scored on a putback. Tuma made a free throw, then got a steal which he gave to Carroll, who made another putback to give the Huskies their largest lead of the game.
“I thought Luke Carroll did a great job in the fourth quarter,” said Ballenger. “They did everything they could, doubling in. They took him out of it for a while, but then he stepped up in the fourth, and that’s what great players do. He stepped up. We were trying to get the ball in his hands in different spots so they couldn’t double him. He took over there late, and that was huge.”
Northwestern continued to challenge Heights during the last two minutes of the game, cutting the Huskies’ lead to 44-42 with 14 seconds left. Tuma scored the game’s final point on a free throw, and Heights’ defense held off the Tigers until the buzzer.
The Huskies were playing without starter Tillman Etchison, so other players had to step up, and they did.
“We were shorthanded tonight, but guys stepped up,” said Ballenger.
Kinder led the way with 17 points, including three 3s. Carroll contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Tuma had three steals, all of which seemed to come at very good times.
“It was a great team win,” said Ballenger.
Heights is 2-1 in division play and 4-5 overall. The Huskies are back home next Friday to host Lapel.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 45, NORTHWESTERN 42
Heights FG FT TP PF
Luke Carroll 5-11 3-4 14 3
Cooper Vondersaar 0-1 0-0 0 1
Isaac Tuma 2-8 2-5 6 2
Maddox Bohland 1-3 0-0 2 0
Braden Kinder 7-13 0-0 17 5
Collin Gilmore 0-0 0-0 0 0
Evan Williamson 2-4 0-0 6 1
Dean Mason 0-1 0-0 0 2
Totals 17-41 5-9 45 14
Score by Quarters
Heights 13 8 8 16 – 45
Northwestern 9 14 8 11 – 42
Heights 3-point shooting (6-18) Kinder 3-6, Williamson 2-4, Carroll 1-1, Tuma 0-4, Vondersaar 0-1, Bohland 0-1, Mason 0-1.
Heights rebounds (13) Carroll 9, Tuma 1, Bohland 1, Kinder 1, Mason 1.