District Champs: Bishop Hartley 65, Walnut Ridge 53
Hawks hold off a second-half push from the Scots with big performances from the Calloway brothers, Marcus Hemphill
COLUMBUS, OH - For the third straight postseason game, Bishop Hartley secured a double-digit victory over a Columbus City League team. But unlike their first two rounds, where wins over Independence and Centennial came by an average margin of 47.5, Hartley faced a much stiffer challenge from Walnut Ridge, particularly in the second half as the Scots cut the deficit to single digits early in the fourth quarter.
Yet the Hawks were able to capitalize with their pressure and roster versatility to pull away on Tuesday at Taft Coliseum with a 65-53 victory, as they secured their second straight district title and 12th overall in program history.
Towards the end of the second quarter, it appeared Hartley was destined for a third straight blowout. A 19-7 run to start the period pushed their lead up to 21, before ultimately taking a 42-23 halftime lead. A Carson Svetek three, his third of the night, gave them an 18-point advantage more than halfway through the third. Though an 8-2 run by the Scots, sparked by junior Marquis Lucas, gave the Scots some life as they faced a manageable 12-point deficit to begin the fourth.
“Give a lot of respect to Walnut Ridge. Anytime you’re in a district final, no team is going to quit. They came out fighting in the second half with a lot of pride,” Bishop Hartley head coach Andreas James said after the game. “I feel like we played like the game may have already been over, so we had to get our kids to bring back focus.”