Big second half propels Hillcrest
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
For one half of play Friday night the matchup between #1 ranked Hillcrest and #4 Simpson had all the makings of a hotly contested district opener for both squads. After playing a physical, low scoring first half in which Hillcrest took a slim 17-16 lead into the locker room, the top ranked team in AA basketball produced a second half that proved worthy of that top ranking to take a 60-36 win over Simpson Academy.
Simpson jumped out to a quick 4-0 advantage with baskets from big-men Justin Griffin and Will Ashley. Hillcrest senior Josh Rogers (photo above) pulled down an offensive rebound and converted to get the Cougars on the board with just over five minutes left in the opening quarter. Austin Hartzog’s layup for HCA tied the game at 6-6 with 3:59 remaining in the opening quarter. Trailing 11-6 Hillcrest sophomore Timothy Knowles nailed a 3-pointer from the wing with 36 seconds left to end the quarter with Simpson on top 11-9.

The second quarter produced only 13 combined points as both squads struggled with turnovers and Hillcrest couldn’t crack the Simpson zone defense. Hillcrest tied the game at 11-11 on a Preston Haynes basket to open the second quarter and then on the very next possession Haynes gave Hillcrest their first lead of the night at 14-11 as the junior guard hit a 3-pointer from the corner.
With 2:17 left in the first half Simpson regained the lead at 16-14 on a baseline basket from Justin Griffin. Hillcrest would finish with Preston Haynes converting the first of two free throws and an Austin Hartzog rebound and put back off the missed second free throw from Haynes as the half would end with Hillcrest maintaining a slim 17-16 advantage.

Junior guard Corey Herrington started the second half with a 3-pointer to give Simpson a 19-17 lead but that would be their final lead of the night. Hillcrest, behind the stellar play of point guard Josh Rogers, took control of the game as they outscored Simpson 24-9 in the quarter. Rogers totaled 12 points in the quarter and wreaked havoc on Simpson with a handful of steals and drives to the basket. Rogers finished the quarter with a driving left handed layup with just 7 seconds remaining to give Hillcrest a 41-25 lead heading into the final period.
Hillcrest increased the lead to 47-27 at the 5:50 mark of the final quarter on a Josh Rogers 3-pointer and two minutes later a Rogers assist to Austin Hartzog gave HCA a 54-32 advantage. The 60-36 outcome between the two squads on Friday night was a result of guard play. Hillcrest senior point guard Josh Rogers was a huge factor both offensively and defensively and can cause defenses to break down. Simpson’s Andy Maddox couldn’t find the range last night and if the Cougars are to make a run at a district title they’ll need more consistent guard production. (Photo below) Austin Hartzog (#42) of Hillcrest and Justin Griffin (#11) of Simpson.

Rogers led Hillcrest with a game high 23 points, Austin Hartzog added 14, Preston Haynes and Chris Prather had 8 each, Timothy Knowles had 3 and Caleb Baucum and Ben Lewis 2 apiece.
Simpson was led by Justin Griffin’s 14 points, Will Ashley added 8, Andy Maddox and Corey Herrington had 5 each, Mark Herrin 3 and Austin Herrington 1 point.

HCA...9...8...24..19...-60
SCA..11...5....9..11...-36
Hillcrest improved to 10-1 and 1-0 while Simpson slipped to 8-4 and 0-1.
Both teams played today…Hillcrest traveled to Vicksburg to take on St Aloysius while Simpson was at East Rankin.
Next week both teams have district games. Hillcrest hosts Leake on Friday while Simpson entertains Canton on Saturday.

**Note** My sincere apologies for the poor photo quality