Hawks Completes Comeback Against Seahawks 

The inclement weather and the late arrival to the game must have played a factor on the efforts of the young Hawks. They were ice cold on both sides of the court and had difficulty executing their plays. However, during the last minutes of the game when the each possession counted, the young Hawks generated enough heat from their defense to complement their scoring and overcome a 13 point deficit to capture the game 48-42 against South Lakes High School.

As the young Hawks opened the first quarter, many parts of their game were not going well. They ran slowly down the court (almost in slow motion), did not switch on defense and were overcome by the aggressive play of the Seahawks. As a result, they only converted six points and turned over the ball six times to end the quarter behind 14-6.

As the second quarter started, the coaching staff inserted Monty Byers into the game to attack opportunities on the perimeter. Immediately, the team generated six unanswered points to cut the deficit to one 14-13. Moments later, the young Hawks converted a steal by Tre Pearsall to a layup by Monty Byers to take the lead 15-14. However, South Lakes adjusted their game plan and steadily pulled ahead 25-17 to end the second quarter.

During the half time break, the coaching staff regrouped and attempted to utilize the inside game. However, the young Hawks had difficulty converting layups and short jumpers. In parallel, the Seahawks converted on the missed opportunities to extend their lead 33-22 to end the third quarter.

Soon as the fourth quarter began, South Lakes sustained their efforts to extend the lead 35-22 after 30 seconds of play. In search for answers, the coaching staff called a time out and requested two things: play tighter defense at all points on the floor and revisit their inside the paint game to open the perimeter game. With this combination, the young Hawks slowly altered the momentum and trimmed the lead 35-38 after 5:56 of play. To sustain the drive, the coaching staff once again regrouped the young Hawks and asked a question out loud, “Do you want to win this game?” With a faint reply of “Yes” the question was asked several more times until the reply was a meaningful “Yes” and it was heard on the stands. 

Immediately the word “Yes” turned into points as Monty Byers hit an open jumper off an Alim Mohammed steal to cut the lead 38-37. Excited with their accomplishment, Joseph Manga matched his teammates’ efforts by stealing the ball at half court and converting a layup to take the lead 39-38. With a defensive stop in the ensuing possession, Monty Byers hit a 3 pointer to extend the lead 42-38. Immediately after, Jahvon Hutchinson launched a deep corner 3 pointer to add to the lead 45-40. With over a minute left to play and the knowing every foul received send the young Hawks to the free throw line, the team spread out their offense and controlled the clock. As the clock slowly ticked to away, Hayfield converted on 3 out of 4 free throws to win the game 48-42. Go Hawks!