Cody Swimm. Photo by Ryan Tincher.
HAGERSTOWN, Ind. – A fast start proved to be the difference on Friday as the Hagerstown boys basketball team defeated Centerville 60-46 in Tri-Eastern Conference action.
“I’m happy with the effort,” Hagerstown Head Coach Bobby Jones said. “We talked about this being an important game because you’ve got to win home games in the TEC.”
“Our defense was pretty good until the fourth quarter,” Jones added.
The Tigers led 11-2 with 4:34 left in the opening quarter and finished with a 16-9 advantage. By halftime, the Tigers were up 29-14.
“It’s nice to get a lead like that,” Jones said. “We got it because of our defense.”
“We played a lot of guys,” Jones continued. “The reason we were able to get the lead was because we were able to keep fresh legs out there on the floor. All 12 guys got in. A good team effort.”
By the end of the third quarter, Hagerstown maintained its margin at 42-27.
“We can’t put the ball in the hole right now,” Centerville Head Coach Seve Beach said. “We drove it and attacked. We got some decent things.”
The Bulldogs managed to get to the free throw line as they made 20-of-28 attempts with a 12-of-16 effort in the final stanza.
“We played with a little bot better demeanor in the second half and competed better,” Beach said. “We’ve got to show up from the start and play 32 minutes.”
Cody Swimm led the Tigers with 16 points.
“He’s becoming a complete basketball player,” Jones said. “His skills have improved immensely.”
Drew Pyle and Michael Howard both added nine points for the Tigers. Jalen Oliver finished with seven points, but he grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Kody Witham led Centerville with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Brewer added 11 points and six rebounds.
Dante Torres and Justin DuPree finished with seven points apiece.
Both teams return to action on Saturday.
The Tigers (2-2, 1-1) entertain Monroe Central (4-1), while the Bulldogs (2-4, 0-2) travel to National Trail (3-2).