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Boys Basketball: Hampshire starting to hit stride
Updated: December 26, 2011 10:32PM
At long last, Hampshire’s boys basketball team finally has its first win streak of the season.
The Whip-Purs looked nothing like a team struggling for victories Monday when they stomped Winnebago 61-33 in the third round of pool play at DeKalb’s Chuck Dayton Tournament.
Hampshire (4-7) had its full arsenal on display as four players scored in double figures. The 28-point margin of victory was by far the largest of the year for the Whips, who have had eight games decided by six points or less so far this season.
“I would love to see that every game, but it’s not going to happen,” Hampshire coach Bob Barnett said. “Hopefully we continue to play like this. It took us a while to get to this point, but we’re here and we can’t go back. We have to build on what we’re doing right now.”
Tyler Watzlawick’s basket with 1:28 left in the first quarter sparked a run of 22 straight points for Hampshire. By the time Watzlawick sank two free throws with 3:00 left in the second quarter, the Whips had a 31-5 lead.
The Indians came no closer than 17 points the rest of the way as they struggled to contain Hampshire’s offensive weaponry.
Watzlawick had 14 points and 10 rebounds to headline a balanced attack for the Whips. Senior guard Brock Ralphs added 14 points and five rebounds, junior guard Tyler Crater also had 14 points and junior forward Shane Hernandez chipped in with 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
“We have five players who can legitimately be the top scorer on this team,” Watzlawick said. “We like to spread it around.”
Matt Reinke’s 14 points paced Winnebago (5-7), which shot a woeful 12-for-47 (25.5 percent) from the field.
Even the players who weren’t piling up points for Hampshire made an impact. Ryan Cork dished out seven assists and Michael Dumoulin contributed five rebounds off the bench as the Whips showed off the depth that was a trademark of last year’s 20-win season.
“We’re finally starting to get it going,” Watzlawick said. “We’re trying to get some momentum built up, and once we get into mid-January we expect to be playing our best basketball.”
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