By RICHIE HALL
SHERIDAN – An all-county boys basketball game went Hamilton Heights’ way Saturday night.
The Huskies traveled to Sheridan and took care of business early, winning 71-36 at Larry Hobbs Hall. Heights scored the first seven points of the game and never looked back.
The Huskies made three separate 7-0 runs during the first quarter to hold a 21-4 lead at the end of the period. Tillman Etchison started things off with a 3-pointer, and that was followed by Dean Mason hitting two free throws and Luke Carroll making a dunk.
“I thought we played real well,” said Heights coach Chad Ballenger. “We did all the things we needed to. Our word for the night, we wanted to be disciplined. We really had a good weekend of basketball.”
Carroll wound up with seven points during the quarter, and his late steal lead to an easy basket for Etchison. Mason was 6 of 6 from the line in the period.
The Huskies continued to roll in the second period, jumping out to a 31-11 lead late in the quarter. Isaac Tuma scored six points during that run. Sheridan battled back with a 9-0 spurt as halftime drew near; Ethan Moistner hit a 3-pointer and Evan Grinstead made a layin. Grinstead finished the second quarter with seven points.
The Huskies’ Cooper Vondersaar finished the first half with a 3-pointer, and that gave his team a 34-20 lead at the break. It also started a 9-0 run that included the opening minutes of the second half. Carroll, Etchison and Mason all made baskets to give Heights a 40-20 lead early in the third.
Carroll continued to dominate during the second half, with eight points in the third quarter alone. His free throws with 4.6 seconds left gave Heights a 55-27 lead after three periods. That was part of a 16-0 spurt for the Huskies that bridged the third and fourth quarters and gave them a 63-27 lead.
Heights was missing several kids, so Ballenger was pleased to see other players step up.
“Some other kids rose up and played,” said Ballenger. “Luke did a good job. I thought Tillman ran the show. Sheridan does a lot of stuff that you don’t see all the time. They play that 1-3-1 and into a 2-3 and 2-2-1, three-quarter court and a lot of stuff that we haven’t seen, so they keep you off-balance. But it’s good. It’s a good win and gets us going into next week.”
Carroll reached double-double status with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Etchison scored 12 points, with Tuma and Mason each contributing 10 points. Tanner Maynard added nine points; both he and Etchison knocked down two 3s.
“Tanner Maynard hit some big shots tonight and came through,” said Ballenger.
Etchison handed out four assists and Carroll made four steals.
Moistner led Sheridan with 12 points, including two 3s, and also had two blocked shots. Grinstead finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while Caleb Wright dished out four assists.
“I thought we definitely struggled with them,” said Blackhawks coach Chip Flemmer. “But we kept telling them, we’re fighting regardless if you’re up 30 or down 30. Doesn’t matter, we’re going to keep battling. I was glad they didn’t throw in the towel. We just kept getting after it. We just didn’t see the result.”
Heights is 7-6 and hosts Tipton Friday in a Hoosier Conference East Division and rivalry game. Sheridan is 4-11 and welcomes Taylor Friday in a Hoosier Heartland Conference contest.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 71, SHERIDAN 36
Heights FG FT TP PF
Luke Carroll 6-12 9-11 21 2
Cooper Vondersaar 1-2 0-0 3 0
Isaac Tuma 4-11 2-4 10 0
Tillman Etchison 5-7 0-0 12 2
Dean Mason 2-6 6-7 10 2
Tanner Maynard 3-6 1-2 9 2
Maddox Bohland 2-3 0-0 4 1
Colin Kuhn 1-1 0-0 2 0
John Irion 0-0 0-0 0 0
Sam Dawson 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 24-48 18-24 71 9
Heights 3-point shooting (5-17) Maynard 2-5, Etchison 2-3, Vondersaar 1-1, Tuma 0-5, Carroll 0-1, Bohland 0-1, Mason 0-1.
Heights rebounds (30) Carroll 15, Tuma 4, Mason 4, Bohland 3, Maynard 2, Vondersaar 1, Kuhn 1.
Sheridan FG FT TP PF
Caleb Wright 2-5 0-0 4 0
Evan Grinstead 4-15 1-1 10 3
Tyler Garner 2-5 0-0 4 2
Cole Watts 1-2 0-0 2 2
Ethan Moistner 4-10 2-2 12 3
David Will 0-0 0-0 0 2
Carsen Aleman 0-0 0-0 0 4
Nathan Hinshaw 2-3 0-0 4 0
Totals 15-40 3-3 36 16
Sheridan 3-point shooting (3-14) Moistner 2-5, Grinstead 1-6, Wright 0-2, Watts 0-1.
Sheridan rebounds (16) Grinstead 5, Garner 3, Watts 3, Moistner 3, Wright 1, Aleman 1.
Score by Quarters
Sheridan 4 16 7 9 – 36
Heights 21 13 21 16 – 71