WILMINGTON – Joe O’Donnell’s three-point bomb gave the Vikings a 29-24 lead and ignited a 12-0 run that broke open a two-point contest (26-24) as Hoggard pulled away to defeat Laney 46-30 Friday night in Hoggard’s James Hebbe Gymnasium.
The Laney and Hoggard girls were locked in a fairly competitive game at halftime with the Lady Buccaneers leading 19-15, but a 23-17 second-half spread produced a 42-31 victory for Laney over the Lady Vikings.
Boys basketball
Behind five points from O’Donnell and four each from Trevor Singleton and Seth Thomas the Vikings vaulted to a 14-6 lead after the opening eight minutes. Thomas continued to hold the hot hand in the second quarter – finishing that stanza with eight more points for total of 12 of his team-high 14 points at the half – as Hoggard maintained most of that eight-point advantage, leading 22-17 as the teams took a 10-minute break.
But the Vikings (12-5, 6-0 Mideastern) managed only eight shots from the field in third period, making just two of them, and the Buccaneers close to within two at 26-24, behind five points from Nick Hufham, to close to within two at 26-24 entering the final quarter.
O’Donnell put up a tough three-point attempt with a defensive hand in his face, and the ball touched nothing but the bottom of the net as the Vikings extended their lead to 29-26.
Austin Louthan and O’Donnell each scored two-point baskets as the lead mushroomed to 33-24 before Singleton, who was strapped to the bench for much of the second quarter with two early fouls, took control and scored Hoggard’s next five points, pushing the lead out to 38-24 with 2:51 remaining in the contest.
Tariq Lane hit a three-point shot for Laney to put a halt to Hoggard’s streak but the damage was already done. Thomas added four free throws and O’Donnell and A. J. Davis scored baskets as the Vikings cruised from there.
“It was a tough game, much like I expected it to be,” Hoggard Coach Brett Queen said. “I have told the guys all year I think we have the ability to win no matter what the pace of the game, and tonight we played a team with good shooters that were patient throughout the early part of the game.
“I thought our defense was good. It’s tough to defend a team with athletic players who can shoot as well as Laney, but we did a pretty good job tonight. I’m just proud of what we have accomplished in a little over week. We played all three county teams in eight days and to be able to go 3-0 – and do it in different ways – I’m proud of how we battled.”
Laney Coach Nathan Faulk was proud of the effort his team put forth in a tough road environment, but he said the game was pretty much a microcosm of the entire 6-12 (1-5 Mideastern) season thus far.
“We got close then didn’t score until there was just a little over two minutes left in the game, and we’ve done that all year,” Faulk said. “You can’t hit a dry spell in a conference like this against the quality of teams we face and expect to win.
“We just don’t seem to have that one person who can step up and make a play for us late when we need it most.”
Laney 6-11-7-6=30
Hoggard 14-8-4-20=46
Hoggard: A. J. Davis 1 0-0 2, Seth Thomas 6 2-3 14, Austin Louthan 1 4-4 6, Joe O’Donnell 5 0-0 12, Trevor Singleton 4 3-6 11, Matt Coleman 0 1-2 1. Totals: 17 10-18 46. 3-point baskets: Joe O’Donnell 2.
Laney: Tariq Lane 1 4-6 7, Ty Balcombe 1 0-0 2, Kirby Kealon 2 1-2 5, Nick Parker 1 0-0 2, Tevin Jones 1 0-0 2, Kevin Bell 1 0-0 2, Nick Hufham 3 0-0 8, Keegan Czesak 0 2-2 2. Totals: 10 7-16 30. 3-point baskets: Tariq Lane 1, Nick Hufham 2.
Girls basketball
Coming off a 49-37 win over Ashley in a game with first place on the line on Tuesday, Laney Coach Sheri Tynes was wary of a possible letdown, and for the first period and most of the first half her fears were realized as the Lady Vikings (10-6, 3-3) held an early lead and trailed by just four at 19-15 at the intermission.
The Hoggard girls held a 18-9 advantage in the rebounding department against the taller Lady Buccaneers, forced nine Laney turnovers over the first 16 minutes of the game, and held the Laney girls to a 6-for-16 shooting performance.
But the Lady Vikings were just 6-for-24 from the field in the first half, and sophomore guard Julia Buehler had three of those field goals, thus preventing themselves from building on an 11-9 first-period advantage that dissipated into that 19-15 deficit at the half.
Laney (17-1, 6-0) maintained, and actually expanded by one, their five-point lead, entering the final five minutes of the game with a 30-24 advantage. Tiana Edwards helped keep the Lady Vikings at bay over that final eight minutes with five of her team-high 17 points, and the Lady Buccaneers did a fine job from the charity stripe with a 5-for-6 effort in the closing minutes to withstand a 17-point effort from Hoggard’s Buehler,
“We were a little sluggish but we were good enough to get the job done.” Tynes said. “It’s been a long week, but a good week, and we have another big week coming up with (home) games against J. H. Rose and New Hanover (Laney’s Senior Night).
“They (Hoggard) out-hustled us and out-rebounded us, and we talked about that at halftime, and the girls picked it up much better in the second half. We’re the ones on top (of the standings) and we know everyone is going to be bringing their ‘A’ game, and we have to be ready to play every night,” Tynes said.
Both Laney teams are at home on Tuesday against the Rampants of J. H. Rose, and again next Friday against New Hanover. The Viking boys and girls welcome New Bern to Wilmington on Tuesday before heading up to Greenville to do battle with J. H. Rose on Friday,.
Laney 9-10-11-12=42
Hoggard 11-4-9-7=31
Laney: Tiana Edwards 6 2-2 17, Brianna Baham 2 3-4 7, Paulette Addison 1 1-2 3, Kelli Gottry 2 1-2 7, Amber Doniere 2 4-8 8. Totals: 13 11-18 32. 3-point baskets: Tiana Edwards 3, Kelli Gottry 2.
Hoggard: Ellen Tootoo 1 0-0 2, Julia Buehler 6 2-2 17, Ashlee Willoughby 1 1-6 3, Brianna Smith 1 0-0 2, Sarah Downing 2 3-3 7. Totals: 11 6-11 31. 3-point baskets: Julia Buehler 3.
