HALLSVILLE - Hallsville’s lead was 19 with 3:11 to play in the first half. A Fayette player was about to touch the ball in front of his bench and get whistled for a backcourt violation. Yet Hallsville’s Ross Parcel went diving for the ball.

Parcel got there a moment too late, but his willingness to hit the deck when his team was guaranteed possession was emblematic of Hallsville’s drive and work ethic in the first half.

The Indians dominated the first 16 minutes at both ends of the floor and went on to beat Fayette 59-43.

"The first half might have been our best half of basketball all season long," Hallsville Coach Matt Heet said.

Why?

"When you’re intense and when you’re focused, you play so much more disciplined," he said. "That’s what we did. One of our best players was on the bench for the majority of the first half, and we were still up 19 on them going into the break. That’s a credit to our guys, because they were so committed to what we wanted to do as a team in the first half."

Derek Kitch scored four of Hallsville’s first six points, but the 6-foot-4 junior center took a seat with 5:27 to play in the opening quarter after he picked up his second foul.

In came Tyler Rollins, and the junior forward shined against Shavez Eubanks and Xavien Crump, Fayette’s talented post players. He knocked down some difficult shots to score the Indians’ final eight points of the first quarter. His first basket came on a fast-break runner in traffic that he banked hard off the glass at 4:47 to put Hallsville ahead 12-3. Rollins capped the run by getting off a shot in the low post while he was falling over. The shot dropped and put the Indians ahead 18-6.

"I just went out there and played like I’d play the biggest guy we got, which is Josh Duncan. He’s a big guy like 44" Crump "was, and I just played like I’d play against him," Rollins said. "And 41" Eubanks, "I just played against like I’d play against Derek. I pretty much play their team in practice."

Rollins tied Blake Berkbuegler for the team lead with 12 points. Parcel and Duncan also helped make up for Kitch’s absence and scored two points apiece. Kitch finished with nine points.

The Indians led by as many as points 23 points in the second half, but Fayette scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to trim the lead to 51-39 with 4:58 to play. The Falcons did not get any closer.

"When we get a lead on teams, we sit back and we know we got a lead and it relaxes us. … We play not to lose instead of playing to win," Berkbuegler said.

● Hallsville girls 57, Fayette 24: The Indians began a stretch of three games in four days, but Coach Brad Blakemore was able to play his reserves significant minutes. Britney Carmack and Samantha Mullings both scored 10 points to lead Hallsville, and nine players scored for the Indians.

"Any time you play back-to-back nights, if you can save your kids minutes," that’s advantageous, Blakemore said.

The Indians built their insurmountable lead by dominating the glass and forcing turnovers. Fayette Coach Mike James estimated his team committed over 25 turnovers.

Advertisement