SHOWING GROWTH: Hun School boys’ basketball player Blake Hargrove dribbles the ball upcourt in recent action. Last Wednesday, junior guard Hargrove scored 20 points as Hun rallied from a 19-11 second quarter deficit to defeat the Germantown Academy (Pa.) 92-57. The Raiders, who lost 54-48 to Orangeville Prep (Canada) in the Brick City Showdown last Sunday to move to 8-3, is next in action when it hosts Compass Basketball Academy on January 6. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Blake Hargrove got off to a slow start for the Hun School boys’ basketball team as it hosted Germantown Academy (Pa.) last Wednesday.
Junior guard Hargrove scored just two points as Hun trailed 19-11 heading into the second quarter.
Despite the deficit, Hargrove and his teammates weren’t fazed.
“Basically, we were just missing shots,” said Hargrove. “I trust my teammates, I know they are going to make threes. It was just a matter of missing shots. We came out and our shots were a little bit short.”
The Raiders started hitting shots right away in the second quarter as they reeled off a stunning 22-0 run to seize control of the contest.
“We found our rhythm,” said Hargrove who scored seven of the first 10 points in the outburst. “That run was crazy. Everything was going in. We were getting stops, we were making shots.”
Hargrove, for his part, poured in 16 points in the quarter as Hun built a 47-30 halftime lead and never looked back on the way to a 92-57 win.
“They trusted me to shoot the ball in that instance, so it was just me going out there and shooting the ball,” said Hargrove, who ended up with 20 points on the night. “I was feeling great. Every shot was going in, and I just kept shooting.”
With the victory extending Hun’s winning streak to five, Hargrove pointed to some hard training as a key to the squad’s hot streak.
“It is definitely our practices; we have more intense practices now, we came out a little bit soft but now we are really getting to it,” said Hargrove. “The scout team is really pushing us to become better every single day.”
In his second year with the Hun program, Hargrove is pushing himself to provide the team with more all-around play.
“I feel really comfortable with this team, they trust me to do everything,” said Hargrove. “Last year, I felt like I was a scoring type of guard. This year I really found out that I have to pass. That is something that really improved my game. It is definitely the IQ part.”
Hun head coach Jon Stone liked the way his team picked up its game in the second quarter against Germantown.
“We just had to settle down a little bit, they made a lot of their shots early and we missed a lot of our shots early,” said Stone. “I said, ‘You have to stay the course.’ They were good looks, but we were missing them all. I think our defense picked up a lot — we got a lot of easy baskets as well. We had some steals that turned into layups.”
Stone credited Hargrove with making an impact all over the court.
“Blake has the ability to do it on both ends, I think he had at least two steals in the stretch that led to easy baskets,” said Stone. “He got his hands on a lot of balls. He got rebounds. He can get to the rim, he can shoot the three. He does so much for us at both ends.”
The rest of the team did a lot of good things in the win as Sage Mateo scored 23 points with Joe Poller, Eshan Kulkarni, and Marshall Douglass each scoring nine points and Ben Ayugi, Juilan Van Hoeck, and Roan Eiben tallying six apiece.
“It was nice to see that there was no letdown. The guys came out right away, and we were able to get some baskets early,” said Stone. “We were able to get everybody in. We are really deep. It is hard — I wish guys could play more.”
The play of seniors Mateo and Kulkarni in the backcourt has been a plus for the Raiders.
“His leadership has been tremendous all year,” said Stone of Mateo, a Cornell commit. “He continues to lead on and off the court, which is really good for us as much as his play. Eshan has been great all year. He is a starter for us who doesn’t start. He is so good.”
In the paint, junior Van Hoeck and sophomore Douglass had some good moments against Germantown. “Van Hoeck was very patient early and did some nice things,” said Stone. “Douglass is so long and has the ability to do different things.”
Hun extended its winning streak to six by edging Friends Select (Pa.) 61-59 on Saturday before falling 54-48 to Orangeville Prep (Canada) in the Brick City Showdown last Sunday to move to 8-3.
In reflecting on his team’s promising start, Stone believes that its camaraderie has been a major factor in its success.
“I think we are still finding each other,” said Stone, whose team is next in action when it hosts Compass Basketball Academy on January 6. “It is a fun group to be with every day. I think they enjoy each other. That makes a difference, it shows on the floor.”
In Hargrove’s view, the team’s daily battles on the practice floor are making a difference.
“The scout team has to come out strong, and the starters have to come out and come ready,” said Hargrove. “We have to give 100 percent every day and get one percent better every day.”