The Blackhawks hosted the Flambeau Falcons from the Lakeland East conference in their second round tournament game. The Hawks jumped out to an early lead to control the game and then continually pressured the Falcons the entire game, winning in the end 70-46.
Junior guard Mason Gay set the tone early for the Blackhawks as he came with pressure defense and hot shooting. Gay would hit three three-pointers in the half, along with 18 total first half points. The Blackhawks would get contributions from seven different players who would score in the half. Vincent Henke knocked down 11 points of his own in the half, with Quinn Hatlestad nailing a three. The Blackhawks would run out to a 42-24 halftime lead with well rounded play by everyone.
The second half was more of the same, but Henke continued to establish himself inside and also banked in a three. Henke would score 14 points in the half and the Hawks would dominate the boards and force the Falcons into many turnovers. The Blackhawks would outscore the Falcons 28-22 in the half and would stop any thoughts of a Falcon comeback. The Blackhawks scored 48 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle 41-35 as they finished with a final score of 70-46.
Box Score: Henke 25 pts, 7 rebs; Gay 23 pts, 3 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls; Hatlestad 6 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts, 3 blks; Fritz 6 pts, 3 rebs; Poehler 4 pts, 7 rebs; Sherwood 2 pts, 5 rebs, 2 stls; Wendler 2 pts, 4 rebs; Wells 2 pts; Brett Baehr 2 rebs.
Coach's Comments
The guys really put their stamp on the game in the first half with constant pressure in our half court trap. We were aggressive going to the basket and our ability to get offensive rebounds.
We did a nice job communicating on the defensive end picking up their players and knowing what to do.
