By Rick Ryan, For the Gazette-Mail
Nearly a year later, Herbert Hoover gets a do-over. Coach Josh Stricker hopes it’s a sign that his Huskies are overdue.
Freshman Dane Hatfield scored 19 points Tuesday evening to lead a powerful attack as Hoover used a lengthy second-quarter run to take control and earn an 83-47 victory over Westside in a Class AAA Region 3 co-final at George Washington.
Senior Devin Hatfield, older brother of Dane, contributed 18 points and six assists and Trevor Rager had 18 points — not missing a shot (8 for 8) — and topped the Huskies with eight rebounds. Hoover was sharp from 3-point distance, making 11 of 22 attempts.
“We’re rolling,’’ Stricker said. “We are really starting to click … It just goes to show you our conference is one of the top ones in the state and that prepares us for every sectional and regional game.’’
The win sends Hoover (19-6) into next week’s state tournament as the No. 6 seed — same as last season — and a date against third-seeded Fairmont Senior at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Last April, Hoover also beat Westside in the regional, also held at GW, to qualify for the state tournament for just the second time since the school opened in 1963. However, about half the Huskies’ varsity players, including top scorer Devin Hatfield, tested positive or were declared COVID-19 close contacts days later and could not participate. Hoover lost to eventual state champion Shady Spring 87-45 in the quarterfinals.
The thought of getting a second chance was not lost on Devin Hatfield, Hoover’s All-State guard.
“It means a lot,’’ he said in the postgame din. “Last year, two days from now, I was getting the news that I had COVID and didn’t get to play, and I’m just so blessed now. I want to thank my Lord and savior for the opportunity to do this with my brother because it really does mean a lot to do it with him after all those games in the backyard we played. I’m just so proud of this team and the effort we gave tonight.’’
Hoover got down by as many as four points in the first quarter and didn’t lead for good until Devin Hatfield hit a 3 while falling down for a 25-22 edge with about three minutes to go in the second quarter. That was part of a 19-1 Huskies blitz that resulted in a 38-23 halftime lead.
“We got down two, four points,’’ Stricker said, “and a lot of teams would crumble, but they didn’t after the adversity. I’m really happy and proud of them that we got this win, and we can have a full team going into the state tournament.’’
Eli Robertson added 10 points for Hoover and Dylan Paxton had seven rebounds. The Huskies shot 52% overall and 58% in the second half. Sam Phillips came off the bench to provide a spark with eight points and seven boards.
Westside (10-15), meanwhile, shot just 31% and committed six of its 15 turnovers during the second quarter as Hoover took control. The Renegades were 3 of 20 on 3s.
“We didn’t shoot the ball very good at all,’’ said Shawn Jenkins, who is stepping down as Renegades coach. “We had plenty of shots. We couldn’t get one to go down for us. We played good for a quarter and a half, then the last five minutes of the second quarter, we let it slide away. We got lost sometimes on our defensive rotations when we were trying to press and didn’t react very good.
“You never want to go out like that, but it is what it is. I’ve had a wonderful career here at Westside and even prior to that — almost 20 years of coaching basketball. I’ve enjoyed my time, but I’m looking for a little me time.’’
Reserve Austin Cline led Westside with nine points and Glen Adkins scored eight. Ashton Reed grabbed nine rebounds, but the Renegades trailed 38-29 off the boards.
Herbert Hoover 83, Westside 47
Westside;13;10;10;14;–;47
Herbert Hoover;11;27;26;19;–;83
Westside (10-15)
Reed 3-6 1-2 7, Bledsoe 1-7 4-5 6, Lester 0-2 0-0 0, Colucci 2-9 0-0 5, Adkins 4-6 0-0 8, Clay 0-1 0-0 0, Cline 4-15 0-0 9, Blackburn 2-5 3-4 7, Lambert 0-0 0-0 0, Blankenship 0-3 0-0 0, French 0-1 0-0 0, Vance 0- 0-0 0, Justice 1-1 0-0 3, Kenley 1-2 0-0 2, totals 18-58 8-12 47
Herbert Hoover (19-6)
De.Hatfield 6-12 2-2 18, D.Paxton 3-6 1-3 7, Da.Hatfield 5-10 6-6 19, Rager 8-8 0-0 18, Robertson 4-12 2-2 10, L.Paxton 1-1 0-0 3, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Phillips 3-8 1-2 8, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Saunders 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Wentz 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 0-0 0-0 0, totals 30-58 12-16 83
3-point goals: Westside 3-20 (Bledsoe 0-3, Lester 0-2, Colucci 1-6, Clay 0-1, Cline 1-3, Blackburn 0-2, Blankenship 0-1, French 0-1, Justice 1-1), Hoover (De.Hatfield 4-8, D.Paxton 0-1, Da.Hatfield 3-4, Rager 2-2, Robertson 0-4, L.Paxton 1-1, Smith 0-1, Phillips 1-1)
