THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Conway High School Athletics

The second quarter Tuesday was one of the best of the young season for the Hutchinson High boys. Offensively and defensively. Coincidence that Hutch was so good at both ends? Not at all. The other three quarters were the opposite. Newton scored almost at will the other three quarters, stymied the Salthawks on defense, and notched its first win of the season with a 57-44 win at the Salthawk Activity Center. “They go hand in hand,” Hutchinson coach Chad Wintz said about offense and defense. “Any time you get defensive stops, it makes your offense easier, and vice versa. Whenever you watch a game on TV, you see a 17-4 run, or a 12-5 run, or whatever, and it’s very similar. Teams get stops, run-outs and easy baskets.” The second quarter was sensational for Hutchinson. Down 17-7 when the quarter started, the Salthawks scored 26 points in the second quarter and led 33-27 at halftime. During the second quarter, Hutchinson made 7 of 10 shots, 12 of 13 free throws, and held Newton to 3 of 10 shooting. “The second quarter, we scored a lot of points because we had a lot of steals and defensive stops,” senior guard Kolby Holmberg said. “The other quarters, we didn’t get stops or play good defense. Our defense led to an outbreak in points in the second quarter.” The other three quarters, the final two especially, were a nightmare for the Salthawks. In the first, third and fourth quarters combined, Hutchinson made 5 of 35 shots. Newton, on the other hand, was 18 of 26 in the first, third and fourth quarters. Most of Hutchinson’s missed shots came in half-court settings. “We’re not a team that would be considered an outstanding half-court team,” Wintz said. “We just don’t have the makeup personnel-wise. If we don’t score in transition, it makes it hard.” To simplify this, Newton played those three quarters the way Hutchinson did in the second. “We responded better to adversity today,” Newton senior forward Nathan Ahrens said. “Everyone stepped up and did their role. The whole team stepped up and made shots when we needed to.” Newton used a box-and-one defense in the second half, focusing on denying Holmberg. Although he finished with a game-high 17 points, Newton rarely allowed Holmberg an open second-half look. Hutchinson couldn’t get anyone else going offensively, as the Salthawks scored just 11 second-half points. “We didn’t execute well,” Holmberg said. “Coach had a good offensive setup, and we didn’t take care of the ball. We turned it over way too much.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Conway High School Athletics

SALTHAWK BOYS STRUGGLE, FALL TO NEWTON

BRAD HALLIER

The Hutchinson News | 1/4/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Jess Brothers