2019-2020 High School Season
HSE continues streak in LN win
Category: 2019-2020 High School Season Written by Jeff Schoenle
Two of the best 4A teams - Hamilton Southeastern and Lawrence North - met up on Thursday in the regular season finale for both teams. When it was over, Hamilton Southeastern was able to walk off Jack Keefer Court with a hard-fought 51-49 win over top-ranked Lawrence North. The win marked the 13th straight victory for the Royals. (Pictured: HSE's Kole Hornbuckle)
The opening stretch of the game was plagued with sloppy turnovers and fouls for both teams. It was even sloppy for the Lawrence North coaching staff, as they forgot to include Donaven McCulley in the scorebook before the game. This resulted in a technical foul on Lawrence North, but HSE was unable to capitalize after Vinny Buccilla missed both free throws. The Royals would end the first quarter on a 10-2 run thanks to the strong interior play of Mabor Majak, who had five of his seven points in the first period.
Lawrence North would begin the second quarter on a run, getting back into the game thanks to the defensive end. When the Wildcats weren't forcing turnovers, it was junior forward DJ Hughes turning back several shots on the inside. A 9-0 run for HSE brought their lead to the largest margin of the game at 11 points after a Sam Jacobs triple, which forced Jack Keefer to burn a timeout.
The Royals would enjoy an eight-point lead at the break and would still have a healthy advantage a couple minutes into the third, but Lawrence North turned up the pressure. Using ball pressure and opportunistic trapping, the Wildcats would gradually claw back in the game, as HSE struggled to handle the length and athleticism of Lawrence North. A DJ Hughes bucket would give LN a lead for the first time since the opening minutes, and it was a lead they would take into the fourth quarter.
The Royals would grab the lead back following a John McCall bucket and Elliott Robinson three at the beginning of the fourth, but failed to convert on chances to open the lead any larger due to turnovers and a swarming LN defense that made any shot around the rim difficult. Tony Perkins would score six of his team high 16 points in the fourth, giving his team a three point lead as the clock wound towards the final minute.
A Kole Hornbuckle baseline drive would result in a three-point play with 61 seconds to go that would tie the game at 49. On the ensuing possession, Shamar Avance would drive down the middle of the lane and try to put an exclamation point on the Royals defense, but his dunk attempt would fly off the back of the rim, and HSE would come away with the rebound. As the Royals ran the clock down, a Lawrence North attempted trap went wrong as Tony Perkins committed a foul trying to take the ball from Elliott Robinson.
Robinson, a 6'1 senior guard, would make both ends of the bonus with 18.2 seconds left to give HSE a two point lead. Lawrence North would look for openings against the Royals 2-3 zone, but could not find any. The ball never made it inside the three point line on the Wildcats' final possession, and Dorean Hatton was forced to take a challenged three point attempt at the buzzer. It hit the side of the rim, and HSE would escape with a tough 51-49 win.
Both teams take on rivals in sectionals next week, with HSE playing Carmel and Lawrence North facing off against Lawrence Central.
Hamilton Southeastern 15 13 10 13 - 51
Lawrence North 8 12 19 10 - 49
HSE: Kole Hornbuckle 13 points (5/8 FGs, 3/3 FTs), 5 rebs, 2 stls; Vinny Buccilla 8 points (3/6 FGs, 2/5 3Ps), 3 rebs, 3 asts; Mabor Majak 7 points (3/6 FGs, 1/1 FTs), 4 rebs; DeAndre Rhodes 6 points (3/11 FGs), 13 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls; John McCall 5 points (2/5 FGs, 1/3 FTs), 5 rebs, 2 stls; Elliott Robinson 5 points (1/3 3Ps, 2/2 FTs); Sam Jacobs 5 points (2/3 FGs, 1/2 3Ps); Dalton Retzner 2 points
Lawrence North: Tony Perkins 16 points (5/12 FGs, 1/2 3Ps, 5/8 FTs), 4 rebs; DJ Hughes 11 points (4/5 FGs, 3/5 FTs), 6 rebs, 7 blks; Shamar Avance 9 points (3/11 FGs, 2/2 3Ps, 1/3 FTs), 3 rebs, 7 asts, 4 stls; Dorean Hatton 6 points (2/10 FGs, 2/9 3Ps); Donaven McCulley 6 points; Omar Cooper Jr 1 point (1/2 FTs)