Trojan game plan humbles Swathers
Hillsboro boys' team inch closer toward MCAA title, crushing Hesston, 67-53
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Heading into perhaps their toughest test of the regular season, Friday night at home against the Hesston Swathers, the game plan was simple for the Trojan boys' basketball team.
Control the backboard, get physical and find a way to slow down the Swathers' dominating big man, Brad Gattis.
Easier said than done, especially after the way the Trojans were stymied at home three days earlier by the defending Class 3A state champion Halstead Dragons.
Mix that in with the bad blood Hesston still has with Hillsboro from the last two football seasons, the Swathers weren't about to back down.
Much to the delight of Trojan coach Darrell Knoll, the only thing that went somewhat wrong was a game-high 26 points from Gattis.
Gattis supplied nearly half of Hesston's point total, but the Trojans were too strong, passing the Swathers' test with ease, 67-53.
The huge win for Hillsboro ups its mark 15-2 on the year and 8-2 in the MCAA.
The Trojans controlled the backboard, outrebounding the bigger Swathers 26-23 with Layne Frick pulling down team-highs eight rebounds and four steals, to match his eight points.
"I thought we were excited to play and we had spring back in our step," said Knoll. "We did a tremendous job in the paint tonight."
It wasn't easy for Gattis by any means. He had to deal with Adam Woods in the paint, and Woods held his own against the 6-foot 5 Swather, scoring a team-high 14 points while hauling in six rebounds.
"Woods came in and played smart and played hard," Knoll said. "He didn't fly by any shots. He squared up and he finished and he did a lot of stuff we really worked hard on. I was really happy with his game tonight."
"Collegiate and Hesston are my two rivals games, and I play as hard as I can against them," said Woods. "We got the ball reversed so I was open more down low. They got it to me in there, I just got my balance and went up."
The Trojans got a lot of help from their backcourt play of Andy Brubacher, Tyler Weinbrenner and Dustin Jost.
The trio wreaked havoc on the Swathers all night, keeping them off balance and out of the game's flow.
Weinbrenner doused Hesston with 13 points and Brubacher's 11 points, including 3 for 5 from downtown and four steals, made the game not as good as advertised.
The game started out like one between two good teams always do.
After the first quarter, Hillsboro was up 20-18.
The Trojans' defense made it difficult for Hesston to get any easy looks at a basket.
"It was really a tremendous team effort on defense tonight," said Knoll. "The guards did a nice job of doubling down too at times. They got their hands in there to help disrupt things and get some steals."
The Swathers' 3 of 12 from the field in the second quarter was proof of that and the Trojans swiped four points off Hesston blunders.
By intermission, Hillsboro was on its way to a scorching 64 percent from the field and 55 percent overall, with a 14 of 28 showing in the first half.
Hesston was in deep trouble, despite trailing 31-24.
Things went from bad to worse for the Swathers as Weinbrenner ignited a 7-0 run to start the second half.
Four more points off Hesston turnovers and Hillsboro was up 15, 39-24, by the time Gattis scored the Swathers' first points of the second half with nearly 2:45 already gone by.
Hesston's shooting heating up in the third quarter.
Much to the Swathers' chagrin, the swarming Trojan defense surrendered a scant six shot attempts. As the Swathers' shooting percentage went up, so did the turnovers.
The Trojans' 20-10 third quarter had blown the game wide open, 51-34.
Trying desperately to get back in the game, Hesston turned to its perimeter shooting.
That was to no avail as the quick Hillsboro defense pressured the Swathers into some threes that even failed to draw iron. Hillsboro harassed the Swathers to a ragged 24 percent from outside and 48 percent overall.
The Trojans host Ellinwood Friday before closing out the regular season Tuesday at Lindsborg against Smoky Valley.
Hillsboro 67, Hesston 53
Hesston — 18 6 10 16 53
Hillsboro — 20 11 20 19 67
Hesston — Dustin Klassen 9, Roman Hofer 5,Taylor Dunham 5, Gattis 26, Stacy Elmore 4, Totals 18-27 5-21 2-4 53.
Hillsboro — Brubacher 11, Weinbrenner 13, Frick 8, Jost 6, Ross Duerksen 7, Steve Chisholm 1, Woods 14, Shawn Hughbanks 7, Totals 21-33 3-11 16-22 67.
