The South Hamilton Hawks basketball teams returned to action on Friday night, as they made the trip east on Highway 30 into Marshall County to take on the West Marshall Trojans in Heart of Iowa Conference action at West Marshall High School in State Center. The Hawk girls entered at 10-5, while the Hawk boys entered at 13-1.
South Hamilton’s girls would be locked in a defensive grudge match throughout the night, as West Marshall led 13-7 after the first quarter, before the defenses ruled the 2nd quarter, as South Hamilton trailed 17-12 at the halftime break. The offenses got going in the 3rd quarter, with the Hawks late push at the end of the frame made it 29-25 going into the 4th quarter, but timely buckets and key stops for West Marshall allowed the Trojans to hold on for a 43-36 win. The KQWC Player of the Game was South Hamilton senior Ashlyn Erickson, who finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Audrey Girard led West Marshall with 13 points.
The boys game followed, which saw South Hamilton try to extend their best start to a season since a 14-1 start in 2018-19, and the Hawks came out strong, leading 18-10 after the 1st quarter, extending that lead to 27-16 at halftime. The 3rd quarter saw the Hawk offense launch a barrage against the Trojans, thanks in part to the play of senior Ryland Ubben, and took a 50-26 lead into the 4th quarter, before rounding out a 61-47 win. The KQWC Player of the Game was South Hamilton’s Ryland Ubben, who had a game-high 24 points. Preston Reese had 12 points for the Trojans.
South Hamilton basketball returns to action on Monday, when they host Saydel in a conference make-up game at South Hamilton High School in Jewell.