Koby Johnson
SHELBYVILLE — Hauser boys basketball coach Brent Keck drew up the game plan to near perfection during Friday’s night game against Oldenburg Academy in the Southwestern (Shelby) Sectional semifinal.
The defense of the Jets led the way, and then turned the great defense into great offense to defeat the Twisters 61-28.
Hauser moves on to face Jac-Cen-Del in the sectional final, with the tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today.
“I just want to give it out to our freshmen — they face guarded them the entire game,” Hauser senior Koby Johnson said. “I told them, ‘Guys, it doesn’t matter how many points, rebounds or assists you get, when you face guard like that, you guys are the MVP.’”
Keck assigned his two freshman starters, Alex Cord and Taeshaun Tungate, to face guard Oldenburg’s Nick Folop and CJ Grote. Both Folop and Grote hardly ever touched the ball and were scoreless in the first half. Folop and Grote finished with five points apiece, with a couple of their field goals coming in garbage time.
Grote and Folop both were lights out for the Twisters in their 64-57 loss at Hauser on Feb. 15.
“It was a great team effort. I think our freshmen did a good job of chasing them,” Hauser coach Brent Keck said. “The last time we played them, those two kids came out of the gate really well. (Grote) was outstanding. (Folop) was outstanding. Ever since our game, they have been playing incredibly well. The one thing we talked about is that we did not want them to get on a roll early, and we accomplished that.”
The perimeter shooting helped the Jets (11-13) grow their lead to double digits. They hit six 3-pointers in the first half, and the terrific shooting helped them go on a 22-0 during that span to lead 33-8 at the half.
Johnson led Hauser with 16 points. Eli Miller added 13.
“We started finding open looks,” Johnson said. “Once you get the defense moving, you find open shots. We’ve become a very good team this year.”
The Jets opened the second half on a 12-0 run to trigger the running clock for the remainder of the game. They led 49-12 after the third quarter. Both teams emptied their benches in the fourth quarter.
Hauser now turns its focus to the Eagles, who will be the favorite heading into tonight’s matchup. Should the Jets prevail, it will be their first sectional title since 2017.
“I’m happy for our kids. That’s the closest we’ve come of putting a full 32 minutes together,” Keck said. “It’s a big challenge (tonight), but my poker chips are all-in with this group. I’m excited about the opportunity for (today). I wouldn’t want to come to the championship game with anybody but these kids. I’m excited.”
