Hamilton Basketball Sectional: Blackhawk Leaves No Doubt
HAMILTON – As expected, Lakewood Park and Fort Wayne Blackhawk will meet in the finals of the Class 1-A Hamilton Boys Basketball Sectional. Blackhawk will enter Saturday night’s final on some kind of run.
FW Blackhawk 102, Lakeland Christian 37
If there was any wonder if Fort Wayne Blackhawk was overlooking LCA in the semi-finals of the Hamilton Boys Basketball Sectional, the Braves made it very clear in the first quarter it is all business.
Blackhawk scored 38 points in the first eight minutes of the game Friday night, more than 36 teams in the state scored all night, well on their way to a win over the Cougars.
The No. 1 team in Class 1-A once again overwhelmed its opponent, Bethany on Wednesday and LCA on Friday, with tremendous shooting from the outside and complimentary post work on the interior. Blackhawk was 17-25 from three-point range in the game, led by Jalan Mull’s five makes in the first quarter and seven overall on the night. Mull ended with 22 points.
Frank Davidson and Devin Donaldson each made four threes, Davidson finishing with 20 points and Donaldson with 12 points.
Drake Thompson added 12 points and five rebounds, Caleb Furst had 10 points and four rebounds, and Jared Hofer finished with nine points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks on the inside.
The end of the road for LCA saw the Cougars finish with a 13-12 record as well as stand as champions of the inaugural Hoosier Plains Conference. Landon Twombly finished with 12 points and Jake Harmon had 10 points, both set to return to the program next season. In their final games for the Cougars, Josh McDaniel ended his stellar career with seven points, Eli Raymond had five points, Jeremy Gross three points and two boards, and Noah Twombly added five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
“This senior class has meant a lot to all of us,” said LCA head coach Chris Hohm. “For me, personally, to have these guys be part of that long season their freshman year (and my first year) with only one win, and then to continue to work hard and improve has been awesome. They have worked hard to create a culture of confidence and positivity. They work well together, and they have really been good examples and been kind to the younger guys who have come after them.
“They’ve been a big part of the turnaround of us being competitive, but even more than that, they’ve been a joy to coach. They work hard and listen well. I’m proud to have coached them.”
Lakewood Park 53, Hamilton 33
Hamilton, playing with nothing to lose on its home floor, couldn’t get it going in the second half against Lakewood Park.
LPC held just an 11-6 lead after the first and moved the lead to seven, 22-15, at the half, before stretching things into double digits in the third quarter, taking a 40-23 advantage into the fourth. Hamilton, which won just two games all season, had beaten LPC in the season opener, but couldn’t strike the magic again as the Panthers will get a rematch of last year’s sectional title game, which LPC won by two points last March.
The championship game between Lakewood Park (8-16) and Fort Wayne Blackhawk (23-2) is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.