MHHS JR ‘A’ Boys Basketball at Hillspring Tourney

Kirby Dietze, Contributor

MHHS Jr. 'A' Boys 

The Jr “A” Boys basketball team saw action at the Hillspring Invitational Tournament early in February, facing the home team Panthers on their home court in their first game. The boys played an exceptional game putting in 110% effort. High scorers Jack Dietze and Justin Albert each scored 15 points, with solid backup from Colton Ball and Levi Anderson.  Joey Jackson also contributed for personal best  of 6 points. This close game saw the Hawks beat out by two points, placing them against Willow Creek Composite for their next game. Final Score: Panthers 57, Hawks 55.

The Hawks two game losing history against Willow Creek held no bearing on the Saturday morning match. The boys showed up right from the beginning taking an early 10 point lead, with strong defense from Lochlan Terpstra, Joey Jackson and Teigan Lissel.  It was a tough and emotional fight, but with 18 points from Justin Albert and 15 from Jack Dietze, the Hawks took the game, a real triumph for the boys.

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The final game of the weekend placed the Halton Hawks against the Raymond Comets in the consolation final.  This too proved to be a real barn burner where Halton lead by three to five points for most of the game. Strong defensive and offensive play from Joey Jackson and Teigan Lissel kept the scoring close.  Justin Albert, Prince of Steal, drained 13 points, only to be topped by the Steal King, Colton Ball who sunk 14 points. Levi Anderson also added 10, with a much needed 3-point shot in the fourth quarter.  The game was very physical, with both teams in bonus each of the three later quarters.  Unfortunately three Hawks fouled out in the fourth quarter, leaving the team with only the five on the court to carry the team. At the end of four quarters, the game was still undecided at 59-59, causing a two minute overtime period.  In the end, the boys just couldn’t top the Comets, and ended up losing 61-60.  Joey Jackson, his inner ‘animal’ released this weekend, won the team MVP award for his superb play.

Although the weekend showed mixed wins and losses, the boys played the best basketball of their season, making proud themselves, their families, and their school.  Awesome work gentlemen!!

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