Hesston, KS -
The Larks grabbed their first win of the season last night in their season opener against Nationwide Prep Academy by a score of 66-57. Â Hesston moves to 1-0 on the season, and head coach
Matt Hiebert secures his first win as the Larks head coach. Â
The Larks and the Bengals traded scores for much of the first half, until Hesston began to take over with 6:37 left in the half after a couple of buckets by (RS Fr.
Elijah Smith Kansas City, Missouri) to put the Larks up 23-18. Â They would see their lead grow to 13 points at the end of the first half as they led 38-25 after some big baskets by
Langston Flowers (So. Dallas, Texas) and
Juwuan Clifton (So. Conway, Arkansas). Â The Larks began the second half with a basket by
Elijah Smith as he splashed home a three to put the Larks up by 16 points. Â Nationwide fought back and shrunk the Larks lead to 8 points, but Hesston continued to put their foot on the gas pedal, and grew their lead back up to 13 points with 6:29 left in the game. Â Hesston would go on a secure their first victory by a score of 66-57 after
Jerome Jackson (So. Kansas City, Missouri) drained two free throws to end the game. Â Hesston saw big performances from
Elijah Smith,
Juwuan Clifton, and
Langston Flowers as they all three scored in double figures. Â
Hesston will look to go 2-0 on the season as the travel to El Dorado, Kansas on Saturday, January 23 at 2:00 PM to face off with Butler County CC. Â
TEAM LEADERS
Points: 17 (
Juwuan Clifton)
Rebounds: 10 (
Ethan Hildebrand)Â
Assists: 6 (
Elijah Smith)
Steals: 4 (
Langston Flowers)
Blocks: N/A
Â