DELTA–The game between the Hawks and the rival Rabbits last Wednesday bore a very accurate depiction of 3A’s winningest team against its worst team.
Nevertheless, a rivalry win felt good as North Sanpete basketball dispatched Delta on the road with complete ease, 66-37, to claim a 13-3 record with a 3-1 record in Region 14, just behind 4-1 Manti. Even more impressive, the Hawks record is 11-1 when playing away from their home court.
“We talk a lot about the opportunity to play the game,” Coach Bill Pollock said. “If the opportunity to play is in a gym other than ours, we look forward to playing and don’t treat it any differently than we would if we were playing in our gym. Atmospheres can change, but the gyms are always the same.”
Senior Landon Bowles led all scorers with 17 points, while senior Hunter Price scored 10 points. The Hawks were electric from the perimeter as they combined to make 11 3-pointers. They also had 20 assists. Senior Duncan Hendry had four blocks.
While Delta has struggled this season and entered the game with only a single win on their record, Pollock pointed to players missing on the opposing team as explanation for the wide margin of victory.
The Hawks unquestionably pulverized the Rabbits in the first half, enabling them to coast to the finish. North Sanpete went up quickly, getting a 22-10 lead in the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Hawks as they outscored Delta, 27-7, over eight minutes of play, including a tremendous 19-0 scoring run that caused Delta’s coach to call two different timeouts.
North Sanpete led 49-17 at the half and was up 61-24 at the end of the third before Delta closed some of the gap in the final quarter.
The Hawks will be playing for a shot at first place in the region as they host Manti this Wednesday. They’ll then be at home to hopefully get some revenge on Union on Friday.
