Hills-Beaver Creek senior forward Brad Haak shoots over Lincoln HI's Jared Beck (44) during Monday's boys' basketball game in Hills. Haak scored 21 points and snared eight rebounds during a 72-63 win for the Patriots.
By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys' basketball team posted successive wins for the first time this season when it entertained Lincoln HI in Hills Monday.
Coming off a 16-point win at Edgerton Public School on Friday to snap a three-game losing skid, the Patriots are in the process of turning things around after toppling the visiting Rebels 72-63.
The win evened H-BCÕs record at 5-5 for the campaign. The Patriots will go for three straight wins when they host Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster Tuesday.
Monday's game with LH was competitive.
H-BC did outscore the Rebels in every quarter, but LH had two-point leads in the third quarter before falling behind for good late in the stanza.
H-BC raced to a 7-1 lead to start the game before LH rallied to pull within two points (16-14) of the hosts at period's end.
The Rebels gained a pair of one-point leads in the first three minutes of the second quarter. H-BC's Brad Haak converted a three-point play in the final minute of the first half to give the Patriots a 35-29 advantage at the intermission.
After H-BC scored the first two points of the second half, LH rallied to take a pair of two-point advantages in the first five minutes of the third quarter. The Patriots countered with a 9-2 run that was capped by a steal and a layup by Haak late in the period to take a 52-45 lead into the final eight minutes of play.
The Rebels pulled within one point (52-51) of H-BC with a six-point run early in the first quarter, but H-BC countered with a six-point surge of its own and never let LH come any closer than four points of tying the game the rest of the night.
Haak, who had 15 points in the first half, led H-BC with 21 counters. He also had eight rebounds and three steals.
Lyle DeBoer scored 10 points in the second half to finish the game with 16 counters. Matt Buck scored 10 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, blocked four shots and passed for six assists. Darin DeBoer added three assists and 10 points to the cause, while David Top chipped in 12 counters.
Box score
D.DeBoer 1 2 2-2 10, Van Maanen 0 0 1-2 1, Haak 9 0 3-6 21, Leuthold 0 0 1-2 1, L.DeBoer 7 0 2-2 16, Van Wyhe 0 0 1-2 1, Top 3 0 6-8 12, Buck 4 0 2-6 10.
Team statistics
H-BC: 26 of 68 field goals (38 percent), 18 of 30 free throws (60 percent), 37 rebounds, 12 turnovers.
LH: 22 of 58 field goals (38 percent), 10 of 15 free throws (67 percent), 23 rebounds, 21 turnovers.