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Boys Basketball: Jets rout Bulldogs, 76-35

Jeffers’ Christian Hocking, right, drives to the basket while being defended by Hancock’s Gabe Smith on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in Painesdale, Mich. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

PAINESDALE — While on paper the Hancock Bulldogs boy’s basketball team and the Jeffer’s Jets look similar in terms of size and ages, they proved to be anything but alike on the court Tuesday night.

The Jets (11-6) downed the Bulldogs 76-35.

“We moved the ball really well and we got inside early and that made the difference,” said Jet’s head coach Trent Keteri.

Both teams came out strong trading shots. The Jets led 5-1 to open the first and eventually 17-11 with less than two minutes to play in the first. Jeffers Christian Hocking, in particular was hard to stop. He had 10 of his team’s 23 first quarter points and added another 13 in the second quarter. He ended with 30 on the night.

The second quarter proved to be the tipping point for the Jets as they outscored the Bulldogs 26-5. In short everything they put up seemed to find the bottom of the net. The Bulldogs had a tough time stopping them in particular down low and off the glass. Turnovers and poor passing did not help the Bulldogs cause.

“We did not play good defense in the first half,” said Bulldogs head coach Matt Strong. “All the shots they wanted to shoot we allowed them to make and they sunk them.”

At the half the Jets led 49-19.

Not much changed in the third quarter. The Jets did not cool off. They poured in 19 points. The big lead gave coach Keteri a chance to play some of his bench and he was pleased with that.

“We are really deep,” Keteri said. “We have five or six different starting combinations and a lot of them can score, and we saw some of that tonight.”

Eight Jets had baskets on the night. Following Hocking in scoring for Jeffers was John Schutz who had 14 points including four three pointers.

For the Bulldogs, Vanden Jacques led the charge with 13 points. Carson Chynoweth.

Jeffers hosts L’Anse on Friday. Hancock visits Lake Linden on Tuesday.

Hancock 14 5 10 7 — 36

Jeffers 23 26 19 8 — 76

HANCOCK (35): Jacques 13, Chynoweth 9 Packard 2 , Sebbas 7, Rasio 2, Barrette 2. 3-point FG: 3 (Jacques 1, Chynoweth 1, Sebbas 1). F: 10. FT: 6-11.

JEFFERS (76): Hocking 30, Mattila 4, Schutz 14, Frahm 9, Kangas 2, Jarvela 3, Andrew Kinnunen 8, Austin Kinnunen 6. 3-point FG: 8 (Andrew Kinnunen 2, Hocking 2, Schutz 4). F: 14. FT. 8-12.

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