By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com

MANISTEE — Hart exploded out of the blocks with a 3-point barrage that rocked Manistee, 74-48, on Thursday night.

Hart, which received votes in this week’s Associated Press Division 3 rankings, went to 13-0 on the season.

Knocking down five consecutive 3-point bombs in the first quarter, the Pirates quickly gained the upper hand on the Chippewas. Hart led 32-11 after one quarter.

Although the Chippewas (0-11) have had trouble on the offensive end, they scored 20 points in the second quarter, the Pirates added another 18 to their total and mounted a 50-31 lead at the half.

“I thought the kids fought back hard,” said Manistee coach Zach Bialik. “We did some good things, but tonight I think it was more they shot the ball very, very well. We did a good job putting the ball in the hole in the first half. Scoring 31 points in a half is some good basketball for us, but scoring seven in the third took the wind out of our sails again.

“Our struggles continue scoring. We talk a lot about holding teams to one possession. But, we can’t have empty possessions with turnovers or bad shots.”

Hart dug Manistee’s hole even deeper with a 19-7 advantage in the third quarter, which sent the Pirates into the fourth period with an overwhelming 69-38 cushion. Manistee finished the game with a 10-5 run in the final eight minutes.

Parker Hovey made three 3-point shots and finished with a game-high 31 points. Hovey grabbed 10 rebounds and had 11 assists. Blake Weirich followed with 19 points while grabbing nine rebounds and Wyatt Dean added nine points..

Kayden Kott led the Chippewas with 10 points, while Ethan Edmondson had seven. Jacob Scharp and Carter Fredericks each had six points.

Hart is back in action next Tuesday at White Cloud for another non-conference game.

Manistee has a non-conference game scheduled at Pine River on Tuesday.