The REPORTER
Hamilton Heights’ boys won a back-and-forth rivalry game at Tipton Friday, by the score of 55-54.
The first half was a close one. The Huskies led 15-14 after one quarter; Gavin Saunders led the way for Heights with nine points. The Blue Devils came back in a defensive second period, tying the game at 21-21 by halftime.
The Huskies blitzed their way through the third quarter, putting in 24 points for a 45-34 lead. Saunders hit two 3-pointers on his way to 10 points for the period, with Rees Knapp scoring five. Heights led 50-36 at one point during the fourth quarter.
Tipton made a comeback in the last 3:25 of the game. The Blue Devils got within 52-45 before Knapp scored to make it 54-45. Tipton then scored seven more unanswered points.
Jack Kakasuleff hit a free throw with 13.7 seconds left, after which Tipton’s Quinn Carpenter made two out of three free throws with nine seconds left. The Blue Devils got the ball back, but their last shots didn’t go.
“Always great if you can win at Tipton,” said Heights coach Chad Ballenger. “They will be a hard out come sectional time. They have a great team.”
Saunders led the Huskies with 24 points, draining four 3s. He also pulled nine rebounds and dished out four assists. Knapp added 11 points.
“I also thought we did a great job with our bench with all of our foul trouble we were in,” said Ballenger.
“Kakasuleff, (Chris) Nobbe, (Aidan) Unger did a great job. Kakasuleff and (Carson) Felger played great defense. Saunders and Knapp scored the ball well and Champion saw the floor and had six assists.”
The game was also the final Hoosier Conference East Division contest for Heights, who finished division play 2-1. The Huskies are 9-6 overall and host KIPP Indy Legacy on Wednesday.
