Falcons' guards score 49 in win over Hawks

Tough matchup

We don’t have the athletes to guard them in man. We just don’t. So you switch to a zone and hit the 3, so you pick your poison with them.”

Kritter Hayes, Central Lee Head Boys Basketball Coach

WEST BURLINGTON – Central Lee head boys' coach Kritter Hayes isn’t happy with the Hawks basketball IQ.
The Hawks gave him some reasons for that in a 74-39 loss to West Burlington Tuesday night on the road.
Head Coach Cody Van Fleet’s Falcons jumped all over the Hawks including a 23-2 first quarter that Central Lee couldn’t recover from.
“Not very happy tonight. We came out and we were intimidated, and we played scared. When you play scared, you turn the ball over a lot,” Hayes said following the loss.
“We saw some pressure tonight and we haven’t seen much of that. We expected it, but we didn’t respond very well.”
The Hawks started in a man defense and couldn’t keep pace with the Falcons’ Mason Watkins and West Burlington's slashing style of play.
“We don’t have the athletes to guard them in man. We just don’t. So you switch to a zone and hit the 3, so you pick your poison with them,” Hayes said.
The Hawks only bucket in the first quarter came inside when Brayden Wyrick worked a couple pivots inside the lane and was able to kiss one in off the glass.
Central Lee didn’t score again until the 7:10 mark of the second quarter down 25-4. The Falcons kept the pace up in the second period outscoring the Hawks 22-11 for a 45-13 lead when Aiden Figuereo hit a 3-ball at the horn from the right wing.
Van Fleet kept the pressure on the Hawks to start the second half, but with the game firmly in hand at 58-17 started liberally working the bench for the rest of the second half.
“We were outmatched tonight. We didn’t play well enough to compete with a team like that, especially with their guard play. Our post guys didn’t execute the things we wanted to do and worked on,” Coach Hayes said.
“When we did get the ball in the post we were effective, but the first half we allowed them to dictate where the ball went. We couldn’t get any outside shots to fall and that hurts us because everyone can dig down on us in the post.”
Will Hayes led the Hawks with 13 points. Watkins led all scorers with 25. Brady Martin had 24 for the Falcons (6-0, 5-0 SEI Superconference South). Central Lee falls to 3-3 overall and 2-3 in conference action.
The Hawks travel to Danville for another conference matchup Thursday night.