Lake Linden-Hubbell boys take down Hancock, 51-39
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LAKE LINDEN -- After a close first half against Hancock, the Lake Linden-Hubble Lakes pulled away in the second and downed the Bulldogs 51-39 on Friday at home.
"In the last two quarters, we really played well," said LL-H head coach Jack Kumpula. "We did a lot of good things to take their scorers out with some strong defense."
Both teams traded baskets to start the quarter. A 3-2 LL-H (7-5) opening lead turned into a 6-6 tie at the 3:18 mark. The Bulldogs (1-10) took a brief 9-8 lead before the clock wound down to an 11-11 tie after one.
"I thought we opened well," Hancock head coach Zach Ohtonen said. "We moved the ball well and did a lot of little things well. Our rebounding was strong also."
The second period looked a lot like the first with a slow-methodical style dominating each side of the court. LL-H led 23-18 at halftime.
This was the second time these two teams had met this season. Lake Linden won the first meeting by just three points. With that in mind, Ohtonen wanted to even the score and told that as much at halftime.
"I told them in the locker room that this is their game if they want it," he said. "They would come out strong in the third."
The Bulldogs did come out strong, but the Lakes came out stronger. They sunk three triples in a row to make the score 33-22 at the 3:50 mark in the third. Three-pointers came from Marcus Sutherland, Mason Codere and Danny Marcotte.
"When we get behind in the score like that, we just cannot climb back up," Ohtonen said. "It is something we need to work on as it has been our downfall all year."
In the fourth quarter, the Lakes continued to widen the gap despite the Bulldogs effort to slow them down.
A bright spot in the Bulldogs lineup was Myles Lewis. The stocky sophomore had 10 of his team-leading 15 points in the last seven minutes of the game.
"Myles is getting better and better each game," said his coach. "He's strong and fearless under the hoop as he know his role under the hoop."
On the other bench, Kumpala said Sutherland stood out with another strong game. He led the scoring for the Lakes with 17 points and three triples.
"He had another good night," Kumpula said. "I was also impressed with the play of Gabe Popko. Overall, this was a good win. Everyone worked hard."
HCHS 11 7 8 11 -- 39
LL-H 11 12 15 13 -- 51
HANCOCK (39): Jacques 7, Larson 6, Sebbas 7, Pietila 4, Lewis 15. 3-pointers: Sebbas 1. FT: 6-11.
LAKE LINDEN-HUBBELL (51): Marcotte 9, Codere 6, Holzberger 8, Popko 11, Sutherland 17. 3-pointers: Sutherland 3, Marcotte 2, Codere 2. FT: 4-11.