Hauser’s Gavin Keller and Columbus Christian’s Jacob Bell battle for a rebound Tuesday at Hauser High School.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
HOPE — The Hauser boys basketball team took a quarter to get going, but it eventually did with a strong second quarter to cruise to a 75-39 win against Columbus Christian on the Jets’ senior night.
Before the game, Hauser honored its basketball seniors, Alex Bower and Owen McIntyre, as well as the cheerleaders and band members.
“I’m really proud of those guys, not only for the way they played tonight, but just for the great kids they are in general,” Hauser coach Trent Moorhead said of his seniors. “It’s been so great having them around our program. They’re great for our younger guys as guys to look up to. I’m really proud of them and proud of what they did on the court tonight.”
The Crusaders (12-16) had a solid first quarter, with Jordan Burton knocking down a 3-pointer and Noah Edwards and Peyton Walden finding the scoring column. McIntyre and Bower both started out the game and gave the Jets (11-11) big minutes. They each hit a 3-point bucket, and each added another basket in the quarter. Hauser led 19-14 after the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Jets. Taeshaun Tungate started off with a couple of steals and layups at the other end that give them an 18-2 start in the period. They would eventually finish the half on 16-2 run, scoring 36 points in the quarter, to make it 55-21 at the break.
“I thought we played as well as we could in the first quarter. Then, we got away from what we were doing, and Hauser was good defensively and quick,” Columbus Christian coach Kevin Roth said. “We were turning the ball over. It always seems like we have a stretch we’ll go down 10 or 12, and then we just get down. I knew it was going to be a very tall task for us to stay close.”
McIntyre drained a 3-pointer early in the third to trigger a running clock for the rest of the game. The seniors then were subbed out to an ovation with less than three minutes remaining.
Hauser ended the game with three players scoring in double figures. Tungate led the team with 16 points, Bower had 13 and Alex Cord added 11. For Columbus Christian, Peyton Waldon and Noah Edwards scored 11 apiece.
“Ball movement and good decision making really shined tonight,” Moorhead said. “It was an all-around great team win. That’s what we’ve been preaching all season long. It takes every guy on the court to get it done, and we saw that tonight.”
Hauser 75, Columbus Christian 39
Columbus Christian;14;7;16;2;—;39
Hauser;19;36;11;9;—;75
Columbus Christian (12-16): Adam Haines 0 0-0 0, Jordan Burton 3 0-0 9, Jacob Bell 2 0-0 4, Ben Halsey 0 0-0 0, Peyton Walden 5 2-4 12, Noah Edwards 5 2-3 12, Jayden Howe 1 0-0 2, Brayden Howe 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 4-7 39.
Hauser (11-11): Alex Cord 5 1-1 11, Alex Bower 5 1-2 13, Stryker Gill 3 1-3 7, Gavin Keller 2 2-2 6, Kameron Blair 2 0-1 4, Jake Barriger 3 0-0 7, Taylen Absher 0 0-0 0, Taeshaun Tungate 7 2-2 16, Sam Taylor 0 0-0 0, Owen McIntyre 3 0-2 8, Jentzen Bechtel 1 0-0 2, Waylon Harper 0 1-2 1. Totals: 31 8-15 75.
3-point goals: Columbus Christian 3 (Burton 3); Hauser 5 (Bower 2, McIntyre 2, Barriger).
