Boys Basketball: Hampshire surges past Crystal Lake South

Updated: January 4, 2012 11:02PM

High school basketball is just a 32-minute game. Sometimes one huge quarter is all a team needs to win.

This was the case for Hampshire on Wednesday as the Whip-Purs defeated host Crystal Lake South 58-42 in a Fox Valley crossover game.

Hampshire (7-7) went on a 20-0 run in the second quarter to blow open what had been a very close game.

Both teams started off hot from the field. South shot 60 percent from the field in the first quarter while Hampshire shot 55 percent.

The Gators (2-10) went cold from outside and had no inside presence to compete with Hampshire senior big man Tyler Watzlawick, who led all scorers with 23 points.

“Crystal Lake South played a 1-3-1 zone so I was able to get some shots inside,” said Watzlawick. “The run we made in the second quarter was huge for us. Once our perimeter shooters started hitting shots I knew it would be a big night for me.”

South was led by Nick Geske, who scored 10 points. Will Ahsmann added nine points and Max Meitzler added eight points for the Gators.

Wednesday was Hampshire’s fifth win in a row. After a loss to Moline at the DeKalb tournament, coach Bob Barnett held a team meeting and that seemed to have pushed the Whip-Purs in the right direction.

“We had a meeting where I let the kids talk and get out any frustrations they might have,” said Barnett. “They really opened up and we explained some things over and have played well since. I really feel like we are finally headed in the right direction and will be much better the last 13 games of the season.”

Brock Ralphs added 15 points and Tyler Crater tallied another 14 points for Hampshire.

Things won’t get much easier for the Whip-Purs. They play division-leading Crystal Lake Central in their next game.

“We will enjoy this win tonight,” said Barnett. “Tomorrow we will start preparing for a very good Crystal Lake Central team.”

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