LocalSportsJournal.com
HESPERIA – In what Hesperia boys basketball head coach Scott Warsaw called “a heavyweight fight,” the Panthers fell to Hart 60-57 on Tuesday night.
A big share of the credit for Hart was the 33-point performance by Blake Weirich.
Hart jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first quarter, controlling the court and limiting Hesperia’s offense. The Panthers struggled to get much of anything going, turning the ball over and taking low percentage shots.
The second quarter saw an uptick in scoring from both sides. After getting out on a 9-1 run to start that period, the Pirates offense slowed down enough for Hesperia to catch up. The Panthers finished the second quarter on a tear, scoring 15 in the final minutes and claiming their first lead heading into the locker room on top, 28-27.
Six straight points for Weirich to start the third quarter put the brakes on the Panthers’ comeback attempt. Still, Hesperia battled back and found themselves down just three points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Both teams traded shots in the fourth, but Hesperia couldn’t knock down a final 3-point attempt to force extra minutes. That allowed Hart to escape with the win.
Hart didn’t need to move the ball around too much as the majority of their offense flowed through three players. Weirich had 33, while Brendan Hiddema had 15 and Caleb Ackley had nine.
Hesperia got valuable contributions from several guys, but it was Bryce Billings (22 points) who topped the heap. Nicholas Guarnieri added 11 points while Ian Fox had nine. Jared Tanner (seven points) and Andrew Sherburn (six points) also hit crucial shots.
The Pirates (4-7, 4-2 WMC Rivers) rebounded from a loss against Mason County Central last week. Hart will hit the road again Friday for a meeting with Holton.
Hesperia (4-7, 2-4 WMC Rivers) has lost its last two conference games and will look to start anew when they host Mason County Central on Friday.
