North Sanpete Hawks win one, lose one

By Robert Stevens

12-20-2018

MT. PLEASANT—The Hawks won one on the road and lost a close overtime battle by just a few points at home last week.

First, the North Sanpete varsity boys’ basketball team travelled to Duchesne on Wednesday, Dec. 12 and came away winners to the tune of 60-51. Then Juab visited the hawks on their own court, and pulled off a 66-63 overtime win on Friday, Dec. 14.

The win over Duchesne’s Eagles was a battle won mostly in the third quarter, with all other quarters being within one or two points of a tie.

North Sanpete’s Scott Hatch was the team’s MVP for the game, mopping up 20 points all to himself—nearly double the points of the next highest scoring player on his team.

With teammates like Tyler Hadley, Alan Oldroyd and Jamal Mayoul, the team racked up the points quickly, but their opponents were doing the same.

In the third quarter, North Sanpete pulled ahead for a scoring spree, beating the Eagles in the period 21-13, which gave them the lead they needed to win.

Hawk Coach Cris Hoopes credits “hard work and discipline” leading to the win over “a very scrappy Duchesne.”

When Juab came to visit the Hawks on Friday, North Sanpete got off to a good start in the first quarter, taking a 19-14 lead. They held a two point lead in the second quarter as well.

But after halftime, their grip on the game began to slip and the Wasps slowly began catching up until the game was driven into overtime and Juab sealed the deal with a three-pointer.

“They were very hard working and hit some key shots to extend and win the game,” Hoopes said to Juab’s credit. “We will need to take care of the ball and do the things that you need to close the end of games. Our players will need to work hard on end of game situations to finish off games.”

In the game against Juab, it was Mayoul’s time to shine, making 25 of the teams 63 game points himself. Hatch and Oldroyd made 12 and 10, respectively. Mayoul also held the highest field goal percentage of the entire game, with 69 percent of his field goal attempts being successful.

The Hawks now hold a 3-5 record for the season. They travel to play Maeser Prep Academy on Dec. 19.