Comets Cruise Past Titans with 30 Point Victory
The Comets opened Tuesday night’s game in a dynamic fashion with the Titans. The two teams mustered four threes each, trading blow for blow in the first two minutes of the game that led many to think the contest would be a shootout. But after Hillcrest’s defense tighten on the perimeter, the under matched Titans struggle to keep pace in a half-court offense, and the Comets pulled to a double-digit lead and never looked back.
Hillcrest shined in the first frame Tuesday. Shots were falling as the Comets worked the ball around the court seamlessly. “Our first 14 minutes tonight might have been the best basketball we played together thus far,” Comet Head Coach Ryan Garvin noted after the game. “We had six guys go for 5 or 6 points with two other guys getting in the scoring column in the first half.” The comets were 7-of-12 from behind the arc, going 10-of-13 in the paint.
The Norman County East/Ulen Hitterdal (NCE/UH) Titans flew around the court, never giving up and working hard on each possession. But without much size in the post, and with the Comets locking down the perimeter, The Titans couldn’t get points from their possessions. “We also did a pretty good job of ensuring NCE/UH went 1 and out on their possessions,” Coach Garvin said, referring to the Comets out-rebounding the titans 49-21 despite missing Justin Petersen, who is traveling back to Hillcrest following the holidays.
Noah Brumfield led Hillcrest with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds despite limited minutes as Coach Garvin was able to rest the starters and work the bench. Matthew Knutson gave good energy and provided a consistent presence as the sixth man, putting in 6 points with 7 rebounds and 7 deflections on defense.
Erik Bjorndahl followed Brumfield in the scoring column, netting 11. Preston Berge provided 10pts and 7 rebounds with luke Christensen earning 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
“It was great to be able to give a lot of guys reps tonight. Cohen Draxten played well for us tonight off the bench scoring 6 in the second half,” Coach Garvin noted, closing out his comments following the 74-39 victory as Hillcrest prepares for a challenging KMS team on Thursday on the road. “We need to continue to handle the ball better in the half-court and make some better decisions in our half-court offense, but it's great to finally see who we are after 15 days off.“