Battle of Birds Goes OT; Hawks Fall by Four

     Hayfield’s Boys Varsity responded well to the near defeat of Battlefield HS on Thursday night, with another excellent 1^st quarter, vs. their cross town rivals, the Eagles of Edison HS. In the newest installment of the Battle of the Birds series, it seemed that Hayfield would exorcise not only last night’s demons, but also the previous 2 losses vs. Edison, but it was not to be, as Edison hit a key three pointer late in the OT, to take their last lead, and held on, edging the Hawks by 4.

    The Hawks jumped to an early 5 point lead, as Sr. G Romaine Oakley (15pts, 4stls) scored 11 of the Hawks first 18 points, including going 3 for 3 from downtown. Hayfield played a very solid 1^st quarter until the last 30 seconds, when they lost their focus, coughing up the ball twice on inbounds plays, allowing Edison to score the last 6 points of the quarter, to take a 1 point lead; 19-18.

   Both the Eagles and Hawks had their chances in the 2^nd, but as fouls began to mount for both sides, the benches began to play key roles. Soph. PG Luke Jones (2pts, 3asts, 2stls, 1blk) came in to spell the starters, and made an instant impact at both ends of the floor. Jr. PF Cam Wilkerson (2pts, 4rbs, 1stl, 1blk) continued his excellent reserve support, spelling both Sr. C Cory McGhee (4rbs, 2asts, 1stl, 1blk), and Jr. PG Langston Gaither (11pts, 9rbs, 4asts, 1stl), who earned early foul trouble. Reserve Sr. SG Terrell Wheeler (8pts, 4 rebs, 1stl, 1blk) normally the defensive specialist, broke out with two huge threes, one in the 2^nd quarter, and another in the pivotal 4^th, helping the Hawks reach OT.

   After trailing by 1 at the half, Hayfield finally won the third by 1 to draw even again, and then the fourth was a seesaw affair, with both teams hitting clutch shots. The fans for both sides were deafening, constantly chanting back and forth with positive support for their respective teams, and good natured banter with each other. Hayfield’s fans, all decked out in a sea of white, kept their Hawks engaged, and spirited throughout, never letting down for a moment. The Hawks themselves embraced their support, and hit big shot after big shot, to keep themselves in it.

   Two Hawks really stood out last night, when it counted the most. Sr. SF Aaron Jeter (12pts, 11rbs, 2asts, 3stls), and Soph. SG Brian Cobbs (19pts, 5rbs, 2stls) both helped shoulder the weight of this monster game. Jeter again, was everywhere, snatching key defensive rebounds, running the floor on the break, and hitting clutch free throws (converting all 6 FT’s, including 4 for 4 in the 4th). Cobbs reached his personal varsity best of 19 points for the second straight game, earning 13 trips to the free throw line.

   Other contributions included: Jr. PG Will Douglas (2pts) went two for two from the line and helped settle down the Hawks in the second quarter with his secure ball handling, while Sr. PF Will Miles entered the game in the 4^th quarter, and snared a key defensive rebound. Jr. SF Carrington Brox (4pts, 3rbs, 1ast) scored a key bucket in the 4^th quarter, and tied for third on the team with 2 offensive rebounds last night.

   Pts. Scored By: Oakley (15), Cobbs (19), Douglas (2), Jeter (12), McGhee (0), Curetan (dnp), Jones (2), Wilkerson (2), Gaither (11), Brox (4), Wheeler (8), Mahmoud (dnp), Miles (0), Hamadouche (dnp)