01/03/2023
Friday, December 30, 2022
The Hawks took on Winona Cotter in the tournament's last game on Friday night. Winona Cotter did jump out to a 23-14 lead as the Hawks struggled to put the basketball through the hoop in the first half. The Hawks were getting great shots and taking care of the basketball but couldn't get the shots to fall. Winona Cotter did come out in the second half to score on its first six possessions and stretched the lead to 23 points but with eleven minutes to go in the game; the Hawks had their own run.
The Hawks showed great resolve and grit as Ryan Waller started to change momentum in the second half with a three-pointer and went on a 15-0 run. The Hawks held Winona without a field goal for the last 11:00 minutes of the game, cut the lead to 4 points twice in the last 3 minutes, and had a chance to get the game to one possession but couldn't get the ball to fall through the hoop.
The Hawks lost 43-37 but did come away with some great positives as they head back to SWC Conference play. The Hawks did commit only seven turnovers in the game and did a great job defensively in the last eleven minutes, holding Winona to zero field goals.
Ryan Waller (Sr) had a career-high with 11 points, and Tyler Harris did a great job on the boards and in the paint by pacing the Hawks with 14 points as the Hawks fell to 1-7 (1-0 SWC Conference)
The Hawks look to get back on track on Friday, January 6th, vs. Dodgeville. The Hawks have played seven of their first eight games on the road and are excited about playing some home games in the month of January.
