Hornets Win Streak Stopped by St. Luke's 80-71 in League Loss

2/6/2017

The Hornets, after a difficult game from the night before against Masters, traveled to face the undefeated St. Luke’s.

This is a team that hasn’t lost in the League in two years and are the Defending New England Champions, but our boys were not intimidated as the Storm played their loud music or the noise from Student Section, or the Large Crowd on hand, each time we handled the ball or went to the foul line.

Hamden Hall came out ready and took a quick lead of 11 to 3 with Seniors Dan Draffan and TJ. Rountree leading the way.

St. Luke’s quickly called time out and tried to adjust to the tenacious defense the Hornets were playing.

The talented Storm Team from New Canaan Ct., with only one loss overall in two years, understood the game and kept pursuing their offensive patterns and the score was now 24 to 18 Hornets. St. Luke’s went on a 8-0 run and took a 26 to 24 lead.

The Game, the Atmosphere was intense, was being played with energy by both teams and with the score 38 to 38 and less than 3 seconds in the first half TJ. Rountree made a shot from half court to put the Hornets up 41-38 as the horn sounded.

Draffan with 17pts. and Rountree with 15pts. led the Hornets as they went to the locker-room with a slim lead, but there were signs of fatigue, and it may have been a factor, as Hamden Hall only played seven players in the first half and the Starting Five most of the game. It was a physical game and pushed the conditioning of both teams.

In the second half St. Luke’s hit a three early to tie the game 41 all. For the next eight minutes of play, both teams took turns as the lead changed hands several times with the score now 58 to 57 Hornets and 3 minutes to play.

St. Luke’s is talented, has a deep bench, and with experienced players began to alter their lineup and play four guards along with their Top 100 Ranked Player in the Country, 6’7 Senior Walter Whyte who will be playing for Division One Boston University next season, and spread the floor.

The move paid dividends as the bench contributed 4 three’s (making 7 three’s for the half) to put the Storm back in the lead for good 74 to 66. In the last 40 seconds of play both teams paraded to the foul line and the game ended with the score 80 to 71 and Hamden Hall’s eight game winning streak ended.

Overall St. Luke’s had 15 Three’s in the Game compared to 7 for Hamden Hall. (TJ. Rountree, who is chasing the school record for three’s, had 5 of the 7. He now has 61 for the season and needs 8 to break the record)

Box Score:

TJ-Rountree-4-3-2/3-25 pts. Draffan-7-0-9/9/-23 pts. Baker-4-2-2/4-16 pts.A.Rountree-1-0-2/2-4 pts.Rice-1-0-1/2-3 pts.Brown-0-0-0,Walters-0-0-0 C.Wright-0-0-0,Villano-0-0-0

17-7-16/20-71

Leading Scorer-TJ. Rountree-25

Leading Rebounder-Draffan-9

Leading Assists Rountree-4

Leading Steals-Rice 3

Record 13-5 (7-3)

Now in third place in the Fair Chester League.

This was a tough game to lose, especially with our play most of the game, but it should make us better.

We have four League Games left (two at home and two away) and the results will indicate our seeding in the League playoffs.

Learning from our mistakes and continue to improving our skills only makes a better team when the Tournament begins.

All of Hamden Hall’s home games have three officials, the game is simply too fast for just two officials to keep pace with the young players of today. It affects the flow of the game, but when you are away from home, you need to adjust to the conditions at hand.

We often forget that Hamden Hall is young with Four Juniors, Four Freshmen and an Eighth Grader. The Future should be bright.

Next up- Away at Rye Country Day on Wednesday the 8^th

The Season Continues…………

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Hornets Win Streak Stopped by St. Luke's 80-71 in League Loss