BOWLING GREEN—Hawken held off Jonathan Alder in a Division IV regional championship game on Saturday at the Stroh’s Center, 63-58.
With the win, the Hawks won their first regional title and advanced to the state Final Four for the first time in school history.
“It was a dog fight,” said Hawken head coach Anthony Burns following the win. “We knew (Alder) wouldn’t lay down. We hit them in the mouth first, but we still have to put four full quarters together. I think we put together about two-and-a-half. (Alder) had a really good third quarter, but our guys stayed composed and together. Our leadership kept everybody together, and I’m super happy. We have practice tomorrow.”
The two sides battled to an early 10-10 tie.
Hawken’s Charlie Mallett recorded a pair of scores, and Ice Taylor and Greg Price drained 3-pointers.
From there, the Hawks rattled off a 15-0 run to take a 32-19 lead into the half.
Daron Hill, Mallett, and Price all knocked in 3-pointers, while Jordan Johnson and Taylor both scored on drives for a 13-point edge at the break.
Mallett scored for a 16-point lead, then Hawken went scoreless for five-and-a-half minutes in the third quarter as the Pioneers closed the frame out on a 12-4 run for a 40-34 deficit after three.
“(Alder) raised the pressure,” Hill said of what changed in the third. “We became less aggressive, and they took advantage of that. They made us work for it.”
Alder cut it to 42-39, and the two sides battled back-and-forth until the Hawks found themselves down by one, 52-51.
Price connected on two free throws to regain the lead, Taylor nailed a floater, and then the duo each went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe to seal the win.
Hawken had to dig deep and pull from some lessons learned during the regular season through the gauntlet that culminated in a gut-it-out win.
“We prepared for this,” Burns said. “We’ve been in all types of games, and when games are close like this, you put the ball in your best players hands and trust them to win the game. Greg did a great job closing out, but what matters is we were able to finish the game and have leaders. We have leadership, and these guys love and trust each other. They trusted each Greg to make the right plays to close out the win.”
Even though Price closed out the win and weathered the storm, all together, four Hawks scored in double-digits, and the balanced effort paid dividends.
“We have multiple weapons, and the biggest thing is they believe in each other,” Burns said. “We have a drill that we call, ‘One more (pass)’ and we work on it every single day. We’re in the gym every single day getting up shots, and we knew it would come down to making some shots. The good thing is on any given day, any of these guys can make shots, and they’re so unselfish. They just want to win.”
Hawken’s first regional title was worth the wait.
“It’s truly special,” Price said. “When you put all of this into perspective of where we came from at the end of the regular season where we lost to West Geauga and Brush, to then be able to flip that around and do the little things. We got to overtake the number one team in our district, Ursuline, and that was a beautiful display of what we can look like when we’re all locked in. This fun has been about family, and that’s why we’re here today.”
Price paced the Hawks with 19 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, while Mallett posted 14 points with eight boards. Taylor scored 13, while Hill finished with 12.
Hawken’s matchup and site are to be determined for the state semifinal game that will be played on March 15.
