Boys Basketball: Big second quarter carries Hillcrest past De La Salle

Updated: February 7, 2012 10:57PM

When No. 16 Hillcrest traveled to No. 23 De La Salle Tuesday night, the Hawks and the Meteors were using the contest to not only gauge themselves but also to ready themselves for the upcoming playoffs.

Hillcrest dominated the second quarter with an aggressive, attacking offense and defense to prevail 62-48.

``Our schedule gets us ready for teams like De La Salle,’’ Hillcrest coach Don Houston said. ``Jovan (Morring) and Kyle (Oden) have such quick first steps. They are both great at penetrating and making the right decisions.’’

The Hawks (19-4) outscored De La Salle 20-6 in the second quarter and led 35-20 at halftime. The Hawks played a trapping 1-3-1 defense that produced eight turnovers that turned into seven layups at the other end. Morring scored six of his 16 points in the quarter and Oden had four steals, two assists and a basket. The Hawks converted seven of its first nine shots in the quarter.

``We played lockdown defense in that quarter,’’ Oden said. ``We got the jitters out and we attacked and dished the ball on offense.’’

The Meteors (14-5) lost its second straight game and were once again without the services of Alvin Ellis. De La Salle made a push near the end of the third quarter to close to within 47-42 in the waning seconds.

Marcus White heated up from the outside with a pair of three’s while Martez Cameron added one of his own to aid the Meteors back into the contest. White finished with 14 points.

That run ended when Oden fed Jayone Troutman for a slam dunk and then Oden scored the first basket of the fourth quarter.

Houston was hesitant to compare this team to his 2010 Class 3A state champions but he did spell out the differences.

``Compared to the state championship team, this team has a little more balance,” he said. “Anyone can step up and score for us on this team. We don’t rely on just one or two players.’’

Gavin Schilling had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Alex Foster added 11 for the Meteors.

Troutman (15 points), Oden (10) and Jalen Loving (14) joined Morring in double figures for the Hawks.

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