PEARCY, Ark. – Lake Hamilton’s outside shooting was deadly for three opponents this week at the Wolf Den, especially for Kirby.
The Wolves (7-4) buried 12 treys in the first half, and 15 for the game Wednesday at the Wolf Den in beating Kirby, 82-56. Lake Hamilton had 40 3-pointers in its three wins since Monday.
“The first day of practice we had it in our minds that we’re the best three-point shooting team in Arkansas,” said winning coach Scotty Pennington. “There’s other things that we don’t do well, but shooting three-pointers is something we do well. We take pride in that.
“When you shoot the ball like we did tonight, there wasn’t much Kirby could do. Coach Marty Smith and I are great friends, more like a brother to me. It’s good for us to get a quality win over a team like Kirby.”
Miller, Tucker spark Trojans’ offense
The Trojans (8-3) are playing arguably the toughest schedule in the state for a Class A team. They’re also missing two players because of injuries, but they weren’t missing Brody Tucker and 6-4 Christian Miller. Tucker was held below his scoring average with 11 points, while Miller poured in a team-high 19.
Lake Hamilton took command early with K.J. McDaniel scoring 21 of his game-high 25 points in the first half. McDaniel led the Wolves with five 3-pointers, all coming in the first half.
The Wolves’ starters left the floor after building a 72-42 cushion going into the final eight minutes. The clock ran non-stop the final quarter.
Wolves have five players in double digits
Hayden McDougal scored 10 of his 17 points in the third quarter. Gavin Robbins netted four bombs to finish with 14 points. Zac Pennington added 11 points and two treys, with Elijah Smith coming off the bench to score 10 points.
“Right now we’re starting five guards,” said Coach Pennington. “We don’t have a post player. Hopefully we’ll have Chase Jessup and Devin Rhodes back for conference play. They’ll be our tallest players at 6-4.”
Lake Hamilton begins league play Jan. 8 at home against Sheridan.