THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Conway High School Athletics

Here’s how good Maize’s offense was Friday at the Salthawk Activity Center. The Eagles made 4 of 7 shots in the fourth quarter, or 57 percent. It was Maize’s worst shooting quarter of the night. Hutchinson’s offense wasn’t bad, but the Salthawks just couldn’t keep up with Maize’s white-hot shooting, which ended at 67 percent in Maize’s 68-58 win. The Eagles started the game strong, making 60 percent in the first quarter (6 of 10), and yet saw themselves down 17-14. By halftime, the Eagles were up to 67 percent, and that percentage rarely dipped under that the rest of the game. “They have multiple threats on the court at all times,” Hutchinson coach Chad Wintz said. “That makes them tough to guard. They’re all very capable and they all shoot it well, and that makes a basketball team hard to guard.” Wintz is right about Maize’s vast array of scorers. Seven Eagles made at least one field goal, and of those seven, nobody shot under 50 percent. “Honestly, we’ve been pretty efficient on offense,” Maize coach Chris Grill said. “When we get shots, we shoot a high percentage. We’ve shot well most of the year, and we have a lot of guys who can shoot from the 3-point line.” Maize was hot from behind the 3-point arc too, making 6 of 12. In transition and in half-court settings, Maize found offensive success. “I know in the first half, they got a lot of points off transition 3s,” Hutchinson senior guard Kolby Holmberg said. “They’re a good offensive team. When we leave them open, they have guys who are going to make them.” Despite seeing Maize rarely miss, the Salthawks were in the game most of the way. They didn’t hang their heads, panic or slump, even as Maize kept adding to its lead the final three quarters. “I thought our team’s approach to the game was really good, in that we were more focused on the details, as far as what we needed to do,” Wintz said. “I was proud of the way they focused this week in practice and tried to do the things we asked them to do.” Holmberg helped get Hutchinson off to a rousing start, making three 3-pointers late in the first quarter, helping the Salthawks build a 17-9 lead. Maize answered by scoring 27 points in the next 8:29. Holmberg finished with 22 points, and Canyon Maldonado added 10, all in the first half. Even with Maize making 8 of 11 shots in the second quarter and 6 of 8 in the third, the Salthawks hung in there, trailing by five points at halftime and seven after three. “We’ve been working on a zone defense, which is a work in progress for sure, but they did a good job of recognizing that and doing some things against us,” Grill said. “They’re a tough team to defend. They set so many screens, move off the ball and move the ball side to side, and they do it so well that they’re tough to guard.” THE QUICK HIT KEY STAT: Maize shot a sizzling 67 percent. What else do you need to know? THE TURNING POINT: Hutchinson trailed 51-44 entering the fourth quarter, and Maize gave no indication that it was going to miss many shots. However, on the first Maize possession of the fourth quarter, it missed two shots. However, the Eagles rebounded both misses, and that led to Caleb Grill getting fouled. He sank both free throws, as Hutch wasted a valuable chance to open the fourth quarter on a positive note. PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Maize has a plethora of shooters, and in the pivotal second quarter, it was Caleb Grill doing the most damage. He sank 5 of 10 shots and finished with 15 points to go with six rebounds and three steals. Hutchinson’s Kolby Holmberg shook off a rocky night Tuesday by scoring 22 points. He hit three 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the first quarter, and he celebrated the third with a Wesley Snipes-like “I’ll just leave it up there” by keeping his right hand in the air, not moving it after he shot. HE SAID IT: “Last game, we didn’t play as well as we did tonight. We took a step forward. We’d like to get a win, but we took a step forward, compared to games in the past.” – Hutchinson senior guard Kolby Holmberg. UP NEXT: Maize (11-7) will play at home Friday against Salina Central, while Hutchinson (3-13) travels Tuesday to Newton.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Conway High School Athletics

EAGLES SOAR PAST HUTCHINSON

BRAD HALLIER

The Hutchinson News | 2/10/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Travis Morisse