Sports > Schools
Boys basketball: Hawks return to regional quarters
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
The best season in program history nearly came to an unexpected close Friday as Hebron was pushed to overtime by Cedar Hill.
But a pair of layups in the extra frame by Jeff Hicks - each set up by defensive stops - gave the Hawks enough to past the Longhorns, 51-47, as Hebron held an 8-4 advantage in overtime.
Hebron hit one of two free throws near the end of regulation to draw even before Cedar Hill had a shot at the buzzer to win that missed.
"It came down to the wire," said Mark Bishop, Hebron head coach. "We had some big defensive plays in overtime that were the difference. We had a steal and a big block by Tyler Williams and that led to some transition buckets for Jeff."
Defense was key throughout for the Hawks, as the squad overcame a 25-20 halftime deficit that included a 14-6 run by the Longhorns in the second quarter.
"We got back to our defensive matchups," Bishop said. "Somehow in the first half, we weren't keeping them and were losing track of our responsibilities. But in the second half we played much better defensively."
On the offensive end, Ridge Shipley scored a team-high 17 points, while Williams scored 15 and Hicks chipped in 10. Among Shipley's conversions, an and-1 on a 3-pointer that cut a five-point deficit to one.
"Ridge had some big baskets," Bishop said, "and Tyler got it going in the second half. We played better then and just kind of whittled away their lead."
The squad was coming off a 48-40 win Feb. 19 against Trinity in the bi-district round.
Shipley again paced the Hawks with 25 points, while Williams had 14.
Defensively, Hebron limited Trinity's Myles Turner to four points.
"He's a big 6-foot-10 kid and we haven't seen anything like that this year," Bishop said. "We did a good job on him, but it took us a little while to get used to him defensively because he can alter so many shots."
Hebron raced out to a 14-5 lead after the first quarter before seeing the Trojans fight back to within three at halftime at 25-22.
"We weren't really clicking on offense, we were probably taking too many quick shots and they weren't falling," Bishop said. "But we did well on the other end and that kept us in the game."
Bishop is hopeful the tight contests will be beneficial Tuesday, when they faced DeSoto - ranked No. 1 in the state - in the regional quarterfinals Tuesday at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center (results not available as of press time).
"Anytime you are in those situations it can give you confidence," he said. "But when you're 36 games into the season I don't know really how much you can learn."
DeSoto enters the third round off a convincing win over Coppell and is led by McDonald's All-American and Duke signee Matt Jones.
"He's a balanced player," Bishop said of Jones. "He can do a little bit of everything. He plays well defensively and shoots the ball well, which is one of the reasons he is going to Duke."
The Hawks and Eagles previously squared off Nov. 16 in the Pasadena Texas Invitational which DeSoto won, 82-59. Hebron dropped its following game in the tourney against Richardson Berkner but have not lost since.
"I think the key is going to be rebounding," Bishop said. "You can't give them second-chance points. We have to limit them to one shot."
Last season, Hebron reached the third round but came up short against South Grand Prairie, which went on to fall to Marcus in the regional finals.
"DeSoto is a very good team," Bishop said. "But South Grand Prairie may have been just as talented last year; they just ran into Marcus. We've played some good teams and I know the kids are really going to be excited when [Tuesday] gets here."
But a pair of layups in the extra frame by Jeff Hicks - each set up by defensive stops - gave the Hawks enough to past the Longhorns, 51-47, as Hebron held an 8-4 advantage in overtime.
Hebron hit one of two free throws near the end of regulation to draw even before Cedar Hill had a shot at the buzzer to win that missed.
"It came down to the wire," said Mark Bishop, Hebron head coach. "We had some big defensive plays in overtime that were the difference. We had a steal and a big block by Tyler Williams and that led to some transition buckets for Jeff."
Defense was key throughout for the Hawks, as the squad overcame a 25-20 halftime deficit that included a 14-6 run by the Longhorns in the second quarter.
"We got back to our defensive matchups," Bishop said. "Somehow in the first half, we weren't keeping them and were losing track of our responsibilities. But in the second half we played much better defensively."
On the offensive end, Ridge Shipley scored a team-high 17 points, while Williams scored 15 and Hicks chipped in 10. Among Shipley's conversions, an and-1 on a 3-pointer that cut a five-point deficit to one.
"Ridge had some big baskets," Bishop said, "and Tyler got it going in the second half. We played better then and just kind of whittled away their lead."
The squad was coming off a 48-40 win Feb. 19 against Trinity in the bi-district round.
Shipley again paced the Hawks with 25 points, while Williams had 14.
Defensively, Hebron limited Trinity's Myles Turner to four points.
"He's a big 6-foot-10 kid and we haven't seen anything like that this year," Bishop said. "We did a good job on him, but it took us a little while to get used to him defensively because he can alter so many shots."
Hebron raced out to a 14-5 lead after the first quarter before seeing the Trojans fight back to within three at halftime at 25-22.
"We weren't really clicking on offense, we were probably taking too many quick shots and they weren't falling," Bishop said. "But we did well on the other end and that kept us in the game."
Bishop is hopeful the tight contests will be beneficial Tuesday, when they faced DeSoto - ranked No. 1 in the state - in the regional quarterfinals Tuesday at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center (results not available as of press time).
"Anytime you are in those situations it can give you confidence," he said. "But when you're 36 games into the season I don't know really how much you can learn."
DeSoto enters the third round off a convincing win over Coppell and is led by McDonald's All-American and Duke signee Matt Jones.
"He's a balanced player," Bishop said of Jones. "He can do a little bit of everything. He plays well defensively and shoots the ball well, which is one of the reasons he is going to Duke."
The Hawks and Eagles previously squared off Nov. 16 in the Pasadena Texas Invitational which DeSoto won, 82-59. Hebron dropped its following game in the tourney against Richardson Berkner but have not lost since.
"I think the key is going to be rebounding," Bishop said. "You can't give them second-chance points. We have to limit them to one shot."
Last season, Hebron reached the third round but came up short against South Grand Prairie, which went on to fall to Marcus in the regional finals.
"DeSoto is a very good team," Bishop said. "But South Grand Prairie may have been just as talented last year; they just ran into Marcus. We've played some good teams and I know the kids are really going to be excited when [Tuesday] gets here."
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News