Nikes' hot shooting stymies Hawks

SWING IT

We’ve got to learn to swing it and be strong with the ball. We weren’t strong with the ball and we didn’t face up and see the rim. Those are adjustments those guys can make and still have a positive impact for our team.”

Kritter Hayes, Central Lee Head Boys Basketball Coach

DONNELLSON – Central Lee’s newfound one-two punch of Brayden Wyrick and Will Hayes has brought a new sense of life to the Hawks' basketball team.
But Tuesday night’s shooting clinic put on by Notre Dame at Central Lee High School cooled off the Hawks' two-game winning streak.
The Nikes shot 62% from the field en route to an 83-48 SEI Superconference South Division win in a game that was moved to Central Lee after a CO2 leak was discovered at Father Minnett Gymnasium earlier
in the day.
Notre Dame was 34 of 55 from the floor and controlled the pace of the game, keeping Head Coach Kritter Hayes’ Hawks from getting into their half court as much as they wanted.
“They shot a high percentage and it’s hard to get into an offensive rhythm when we pressure ourselves when we fall that far behind early on.”
Notre Dame led from the tip when senior Dylan Kipp converted inside off a pass from the jump. The Nikes would hit their first four shots including two from three-point range. Wyrick answered with a couple slashing moves in the lane for a 10-4 early deficit, but Notre Dame would stretch that to a 26-9 first quarter lead shooting 10 of 14 in the period with five different players getting points in the run.
The Hawks would miss their first five shots of the second period while the Nikes stayed proficient going five of eight and pushing the lead to an insurmountable 38-9.
Hayes would try to turn things around getting back-to-back three-point plays at the 4:08 mark  but the Hawks wouldn’t score again until Wyrick's dunk at the halftime horn giving Notre Dame a 44-19 lead at the break.
Hayes and Wyrick combined for 17 of the Hawks' 19 points in the half, with Aiden Ross scoring on a couple freethrows.
“It’s been a positive for us, for sure. They both are scoring threats,” Hayes said of his posts. “But tip your hat to Notre Dame. They did a great job of digging down on both of them when they caught the ball in the post. We’ve got to learn to swing it and be strong with the ball. We weren’t strong with the ball and we didn’t face up and see the rim. Those are adjustments those guys can make and still have a positive impact for our team.”
Central Lee would make some adjustments at the half to cool off the Nikes' shooting holding them to just 1 of 6 to start the second half. Cory Jones nailed a couple 3-balls during the cold spot for Notre Dame and Wyrick and Hayes both were able to step out and hit 3-pointers, cutting the lead to 17 at 48-31 with about six minutes left.
The Nikes’ Gedi Boal broke the cold streak with a bucket in transition and then Notre Dame hit the next 7 of 9 to push the lead to 64-37 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter was much of the same as both teams went to their benches to get their twos and threes some playing time.
Kritter Hayes said the Hawks had to play better defense and control the game better.
“We didn’t play very good defense and had a lot of turnovers. We were trying to keep those to 10 and we were probably at about 20 tonight. I just told them to think and reflect on the things we can control. Come back to work tomorrow and bring lots of energy to practice.”
Hayes finished with 14 for the Hawks. Wyrick had 13 and Ross finished with 11. Liam Delaney led all scorers with 26 points. Boal had 15 from his point guard spot.
Central Lee falls to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the SEISC. Notre Dame is 2-1 (2-1). The Hawks host Van Buren in a girls/boys quad on Friday night.
The January 16^th game between the Hawks and Nikes originally slated for Donnellson will now be played at Notre Dame.
In the junior varsity boys' game, the Hawks won 54-52 with Brody Moeller pouring in 16 and Carson Morrison adding 12.