By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
MORGANFIELD -- Madisonville-North Hopkins visited Union County on Friday evening for the Braves' Homecoming, but Maroon guard Robert Hatchett ruled the court.
Hatchett tallied 21 points and delivered clutch 3-point shots throughout the contest to propel North (8-10) to a 70-57 victory against Union (5-14).
"It was easy to shoot the ball," Hatchett said after the game. "I've been hitting it a lot in practice and it feels good to finally start knocking them down in the game. My teammates trusted me out there tonight."
Hatchett's best quarter came during the third when he scored 11 points. The outburst occurred with great timing as North increased its 10-point halftime advantage to as many as 21.
Hatchett, a junior, made back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Maroons a 53-32 lead with 1:15 to go in the third quarter.
On the second 3, Hatchett spotted up on the left wing and called "Jon, Jon" to teammate Jon Hood, who provided him with the skip pass. Hatchett hauled in the pass and lifted up the shot for three more.
Hood scored a game-high 32 points, but coach Marty Cline said Hatchett's effort was imperative for North's success.
Hatchett tallied 21 points and delivered clutch 3-point shots throughout the contest to propel North (8-10) to a 70-57 victory against Union (5-14).
"It was easy to shoot the ball," Hatchett said after the game. "I've been hitting it a lot in practice and it feels good to finally start knocking them down in the game. My teammates trusted me out there tonight."
Hatchett's best quarter came during the third when he scored 11 points. The outburst occurred with great timing as North increased its 10-point halftime advantage to as many as 21.
Hatchett, a junior, made back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Maroons a 53-32 lead with 1:15 to go in the third quarter.
On the second 3, Hatchett spotted up on the left wing and called "Jon, Jon" to teammate Jon Hood, who provided him with the skip pass. Hatchett hauled in the pass and lifted up the shot for three more.
Hood scored a game-high 32 points, but coach Marty Cline said Hatchett's effort was imperative for North's success.
"There are going to be nights where they take Jon away and put two, three, four guys on him, and we've been talking in practice that somebody needs to step up when that happens," Cline said. "If you noticed when Robby hit one, Jon didn't have any problems getting him the ball and he was knocking them down."
Despite the large lead, the Maroons nearly fell victim to a late Braves run. With three minutes remaining in the game, Union trailed 58-49.
Less than a minute later tensions boiled over for the Braves as they made a desperate comeback attempt.
Senior Torez Jones drove the lane and drew contact for a three-point play opportunity for Union. After the play, Jones taunted a Maroon player resulting in a technical foul. Braves coach Shayne Carey provided a little too much reaction to the call and drew his own technical foul.
Jones missed his free throw and Hatchett made 2-of-4 and the Maroons retained possession. After the series of events, North led 62-51.
Union cut the lead to as little as 10 points down the stretch, but the Maroons held.
North never trailed, but its outcome was anything but certain in the first half.
The Braves employed their attack by quickly working the ball up the floor and substituting speed for their lack of size. Jones, a guard, led the fast-paced attack and earned many chances for points at the free-throw line.
"He's very elusive, he's hard to guard and he's very smart," Cline said. "If he feels any bit of contact he knows what to do to gain more attention. He uses his intelligence and his experience...When he shoots his free throws for 75 percent that makes him a tough competitor."
Jones recorded a team-high 21 points. Of Jones' 11 first-half points, seven came at the line.
The Maroons also had to overcome fatigue, playing just 24 hours after defeating Webster County, and foul trouble. Ryan Robinson and Isiah White collected three fouls before halftime.
North's lead sat at just three points with 5:24 left before intermission, but the squad responded during the half's final minutes and led 36-26 at the break.
"We were in foul trouble and we had to execute to control the ball and get the ball out of their hands," Cline said.
In the second half, Hatchett made his move by getting ahead of the defense in transition.
"We did some great things -- spinning and cutting -- and all Jon had to do was get him the ball and Robby had the confidence to knock them down," Cline said.
The Maroons next play at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday against Lyon County.
MNHHS (8-10) 20 16 21 13 - 70
UCHS (5-14) 14 12 12 19 - 57
MNHHS: Jon Hood 32, Robert Hatchett 21, J.C Wade 6, L.J. Gregory 4, Carl Hatchett 3, Ryan Robinson 2, Darin Tomblingson 2.
UCHS: Torez Jones 21, Kren Rister 14, Fabian Curry 9, Riley Hall 7, Levi Brown 5, Justin Price 1.
Despite the large lead, the Maroons nearly fell victim to a late Braves run. With three minutes remaining in the game, Union trailed 58-49.
Less than a minute later tensions boiled over for the Braves as they made a desperate comeback attempt.
Senior Torez Jones drove the lane and drew contact for a three-point play opportunity for Union. After the play, Jones taunted a Maroon player resulting in a technical foul. Braves coach Shayne Carey provided a little too much reaction to the call and drew his own technical foul.
Jones missed his free throw and Hatchett made 2-of-4 and the Maroons retained possession. After the series of events, North led 62-51.
Union cut the lead to as little as 10 points down the stretch, but the Maroons held.
North never trailed, but its outcome was anything but certain in the first half.
The Braves employed their attack by quickly working the ball up the floor and substituting speed for their lack of size. Jones, a guard, led the fast-paced attack and earned many chances for points at the free-throw line.
"He's very elusive, he's hard to guard and he's very smart," Cline said. "If he feels any bit of contact he knows what to do to gain more attention. He uses his intelligence and his experience...When he shoots his free throws for 75 percent that makes him a tough competitor."
Jones recorded a team-high 21 points. Of Jones' 11 first-half points, seven came at the line.
The Maroons also had to overcome fatigue, playing just 24 hours after defeating Webster County, and foul trouble. Ryan Robinson and Isiah White collected three fouls before halftime.
North's lead sat at just three points with 5:24 left before intermission, but the squad responded during the half's final minutes and led 36-26 at the break.
"We were in foul trouble and we had to execute to control the ball and get the ball out of their hands," Cline said.
In the second half, Hatchett made his move by getting ahead of the defense in transition.
"We did some great things -- spinning and cutting -- and all Jon had to do was get him the ball and Robby had the confidence to knock them down," Cline said.
The Maroons next play at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday against Lyon County.
MNHHS (8-10) 20 16 21 13 - 70
UCHS (5-14) 14 12 12 19 - 57
MNHHS: Jon Hood 32, Robert Hatchett 21, J.C Wade 6, L.J. Gregory 4, Carl Hatchett 3, Ryan Robinson 2, Darin Tomblingson 2.
UCHS: Torez Jones 21, Kren Rister 14, Fabian Curry 9, Riley Hall 7, Levi Brown 5, Justin Price 1.
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