By RICHIE HALL
ARCADIA – After an emotional win on Friday at New Castle, Hamilton Heights was back in its home gym Saturday night for another big rivalry game.
The Huskies hosted Guerin Catholic, and the game was reasonably close for three quarters and part of the fourth. But Heights ended the game with a flourish, defeating the Golden Eagles 74-60. It was part of a great weekend for the Huskies program.
“I was real proud of our guys, because that was our first double,” said Heights coach Chad Ballenger. On Friday, the Huskies handed the Trojans only their eighth loss in the history of their famous fieldhouse. They were excited, although they didn’t get home until 11 p.m., then came back in to practice the next morning.
“We played well and wanted that to carry over and not just be about last night, and I thought our guys did a good job,” said Ballenger.
The first period was back and forth, but ended with the Huskies ahead 18-13. Sophomore Gus Etchison was hot early, with eight points, including two 3-pointers. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles got six points from Bernie McGuinness and five from Luke Godfrey, both of whom had a 3-pointer.
In the second quarter, it was Camron Knott’s turn to step up, as he scored seven points for Heights to help it to a 30-23 halftime lead. Kian Sills began the third quarter with a 3 for Guerin, cutting the lead to 30-26.
Etchison added another nine points in the third, but the Golden Eagles were beginning to push, getting within four points after back-to-back baskets by McGuinness and Josh Osborn. Etchison stretched the lead back to seven with a three-point play, but Godfrey’s layin kept Guerin Catholic within 45-40 after three.
Godfrey then made two free throws in a one-and-one situation to start the fourth. Now the lead was 45-42. AJ Field drained a 3 for the Huskies, which Sills answered immediately with a 3.
Joseph Bobilya’s 3 got GC within 50-48, and Godfrey made two more free throws to tie the game at 52-all with 5:33 left. But at that point the Huskies went on a big spurt, outscoring the Golden Eagles 22-8 in the game’s final minutes.
Camron Knott started the run with a hook shot, then Etchison added four points on a layin and two free throws. Heights rolled from there, with Etchison scoring 12 points during the run, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line. As a team, the Huskies were 14-of-16 from the line in the quarter.
“We locked down when we had to,” said Ballenger. “We made that little defensive run there at the end. Pushed it out, hit free throws.”
“We’ve just done a good job,” said Ballenger. “We’ve made shots, we’ve made runs, got to the free throw line, which has been really big.”
Etchison finished the game with 29 points, while Knott scored 20. Field added 10 points.
Guerin Catholic, meanwhile, had four players in double figures. Godfrey scored 17, Sills added 14, McGuinness put in 12 and Osborn scored 10. Golden Eagles coach Bobby Allen said he thought his team played better than it did Friday in a loss to Roncalli.
“Our goal in the third quarter was to win that quarter and we did,” said Allen. “And then we came out in the fourth quarter and we got the game tied with about five minutes to go, and then we put up a couple bad possessions. They’re a good team, and when you don’t stay consistent against a good team, they’re going to bury you, which is what they did to us at the end. They make all their free throws, they compete at a high level and they’re very, very well-coached.”
Heights is now 3-1 for the season and will host Lewis Cass on Friday to open Hoosier Conference East play. The Golden Eagles are 1-2 and will play at Muncie Central next Saturday.
Heights 74, Guerin Catholic 60
Guerin Catholic FG FT TP PF
Kian Sills 5 2-2 14 5
Joseph Bobilya 1 0-0 3 4
Luke Godfrey 6 4-4 17 1
Bernie McGuinness 5 1-2 12 2
Matt Parenteau 1 0-0 2 2
Josh Osborn 5 0-0 10 3
Cam Weitzel 0 0-0 0 0
Kameron Osswald 0 0-0 0 1
Matt Gillis 0 0-0 0 2
Davis Schlichte 1 0-0 2 0
Totals 24 7-8 60 20
Guerin Catholic 3-pointers (5) Sills 2, Bobilya 1, Godfrey 1, McGuinness 1.
(Shooting stats and rebounds were unavailable at press time)
Heights FG FT TP PF
Gus Etchison 8-16 11-12 29 2
Camron Knott 8-13 3-5 20 0
AJ Field 3-8 2-2 10 4
Kray Leininger 3-4 0-0 6 2
Hudson Hochstedler 2-3 0-0 5 0
Cory Vonfeldt 0-1 2-2 2 1
Jonny Cambron 0-0 0-0 0 0
Issiac Hickok 1-2 0-0 2 3
Brent Pennington 0-0 0-0 0 2
Totals 25-47 18-21 74 14
Heights 3-point shooting (6-19) Etchison 2-6, Field 2-4, Knott 1-5, Hochstedler 1-2, Vonfeldt 0-1, Hickok 0-1.
Heights rebounds (20) Etchison 4, Leininger 4, Vonfeldt 3, Field 3, Hochstedler 3, Knott 2, Hickok 1.
Score by Quarters
Guerin Catholic 13 10 17 20 – 60
Heights 18 12 15 29 – 74
Hamilton Heights’ Cory Vonfeldt grabs a rebounds during the Huskies’ Saturday night game with Guerin Catholic at the Heights gym. The Huskies won 74-60. (Richie Hall)
Guerin Catholic’s Luke Godfrey motions during a Golden Eagles offensive series. (Richie Hall)