Hartville Eagles run over Wildcats 78-47

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Brett Reed notched his 100th win at Hartville on Tuesday as the Eagles ran away from Licking in the second half en route to a 78-47 victory.

Hartville (8-3) got a game-high 18 points from junior Deric Jones and junior point guard Dune Piper added 15 and the Eagles used a big run in the third quarter to take control of the contest, forcing a host of turnover and tightly contested shots by Licking.

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Licking (11-2) held an early 16-13 lead as junior Nathan Wilson got inside for the Wildcats in the early going. But Hartville responded by closing out the first quarter on a 7-0 run, scoring on each of its final four possessions of the frame.

Hartville then pushed its lead to 10 in the second quarter and went to the half holding a 34-25 advantage. The two teams opened the second half by trading baskets, but it was all Hartville from there. The Eagles built a 22-point lead late in the third and continued to pour it on the fourth and saw its lead expand to 30 late in the contest.

The Eagles were coming off a self-described disappointing performance at the Blue and Gold where they lost in the quarterfinals to Strafford, then fell in the fifth-place game to Republic.

“We had a lot of distractions and battled adversity and just didn’t handle it well,” Reed said. “I don’t think we played our best basketball at the Blue and Gold and we wanted to come out tonight and put that behind us.”

Reed said he was surprised at the postgame ceremony for his 100th win at Hartville, but was quick to deflect the recognition.

“This is a community that loves basketball and I am grateful to all the players and the Hartville community and to just be a part of it,” he said.

Licking head coach Ben Glasgow said the Wildcats hoped to have a little more success by pounding the ball inside against Hartville, but after the first quarter opportunities were few and far between.

“We wanted to get the ball down a little deeper and we did a poor job of maintaining position in the low post,” Glasgow said. “We thought we could score inside a little bit, and we did early on, but then once they started putting some pressure on the perimeter we did a poor job of handling it, then we did a poor job of positioning to get the ball.

“It’s a two way street when you don’t get the ball down low.”

Glasgow lamented the free throw disparity after the game as the Wildcats made seven while the Eagles were 30 for 36 at the line, but also said Hartville quickly took control and forced Licking to play its game.

“We got sped up way to early and got out of our game and immediately went into their game,” he said.  “It was a disappointing effort. They beat us by 31 and they’re a better team. But I don’t think they’re 31 points better. We didn’t perform well and there were times it felt like we were dreading playing them instead of relishing the opportunity.”

Licking juniors Nathan Wilson (17) and Brady Smith (8) combined to score 25 points, well below their season averages.

“We have played a tough schedule and seen some really good players this season, but I told the kids before the game that (Wilson and Smith) might be as good a scorers as we’ve faced,” Reed said. “We knew they were going to score some points, but we wanted to play them tough and force them to take contest shots. I don’t know how many they finished with, but I thought for the most part we were able to do that.”

Licking will next play Stoutland on Friday, then will take on two of the area’s premier small school programs in Mountain Grove and Iberia. The Rangers handed Licking its only other loss in the championship game of the Frisco League Tournament.

The Hartville Eagles also have a tough week ahead as they will host the Nixa Eagles next Tuesday. However, Reed was quick to point out that the Eagles have a game Friday against Willow Springs.

“We aren’t looking past Willow Springs and they are a team that is capable, they had a big win at the Blue and Gold over Marshfield and we can’t look past anybody,” Reed said. “But with that said, the game against Nixa is certainly something that the Hartville community is talking about and looking forward to.”

High school boys’ basketball

HARTVILLE 78, LICKING 47
on Tuesday, at Hartville

Licking    16   9  14   8 — 47

Hartville  20  14  24  20 — 78

Licking (11-2) — Nathan Wilson 17, Brady Smith 8, Dillon Smith 6, Clabe Sullins 4, Tristen Morelan 10, GT Nicholson 2.

Hartville (8-3) — Dune Piper 15, Deric Jones 18, Ryan Ward 8, Grant Dedmon 9, Jace Keith 6, Wyatt Ward 5, Kobe Meyer 7, Tyler Coday 5.

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