Hawks top Explorers
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| Gibault's Jon Kovarik, 10, looks to make a move against Columbia's Brian Winters, 34, during a game this season. Terry Smith photo |
The Hawks defeated Alton Marquette 49-33 and earned the right to play the host Eagles in the second round of the postseason.
Hawk coach Dennis Rueter attributed the win to his club’s tenacious perimeter and interior defense.<"Our perimeter defense was good. (Seniors) Jon Kovarik, Kyle Lane, Tyler Schutt and Taylor Stumpf played very well on defense. As usual (6-8 junior) Michael Hoffman was a big factor defensively and on the boards," Rueter said.
The Hawks led 17-7 after the first quarter. The 10-point Gibault advantage ballooned to 13 before the clubs went in for the intermission.
Alton Marquette, however, responded, outscoring the Hawks 13-12 in the third stanza.
Alton Marquette was down by just 12 entering the final quarter. The fact his club could not put the Explorers away frustrated Rueter.
"I was a little disappointed in our inability to put them away when we had the chance early," Rueter said.
The fourth quarter was all about defense and the Hawk defenders would stifle any chance the Explorers had of a last-minute comeback. Gibault allowed just five points the final eight minutes to secure the win.
Rueter was happy with his club’s play on both ends of the court. He believes the offensive success was related to quality passes.
"I thought we had real good ball movement and we shot it well," Rueter said.
The Hawks played phenomenal defense, but also featured strong three-point marksmanship, hitting over 46 percent from beyond the arc.
Stumpf was a perfect three-for-three and Nieman was good on four of his eight shots from downtown.
Nieman led all scorers with 14 points. He was averaging just over 10 points per game this season, which led Rueter to give his guard some high praise.
"Nieman has been our best offensive threat all season with his perimeter shooting. He has done a good job finding shots," Rueter said.
Stumpf was right behind Nieman with 13 points, followed by Hoffman with 11. Hoffman also led the Hawks with 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Derek Briesacher chipped in two points for Gibault. The junior is only averaging about 2.5 points and two rebounds per game, but he has caught his coach’s eye this season.
"Derek has shown significant improvement throughout the year. He continues to make improvements and is contributing more all the time," Rueter said.
