It was great to see Continental High Boys basketball back at Hilltop after a 42 year break. Ok, so the parents of the current players never got to play at Hilltop. But it was back to usual as the Pirates continued their winning ways against the Cadets. The Pirates picked up win one with Monty Rayle going 6-6 from the line to finish off the game and setting his game total at 26. The Pirates were 4-12 from the line before the 6-6 effort.
The Pirates went inside to start the game scoring with Tyson Clementz making a basket and a free throw to put the Pirates up 3-0. A basket by the Cadets was met with a Quinn Tegenkamp 3. Pirates 6-2. The Cadets would make a basket and go 4-4 from the line to take an 8-6 lead. Monty Rayle stopped the Cadet rally with a free throw Cadets 8-7. A basket by the Cadets was followed by a Tegenkamp 3 and it was 10 all after 1.
A free throw by the Cadets put them up by 1, 11-10. A Tegenkamp basket and a Jayden Pitney 3 put the Pirates up by 4, 15-11. A 3 by the Cadets made it a one point game 15-14. Tegenkamp would make a basket to expand the Pirate lead to 3. A Cadet 5 point run fueled by a 3 and 2 put the Cadets up 19-17. A Rayle basket would finish off the half scoring and the two teams were tied again at 19.
Following 2 ties at quarter breaks it would be surprising that one team would take total control of the game. The Pirates attempted to do just that at the start of the third quarter as they put in the first 8 points of the second half when Tegenkamp would make a basket and Rayle hit a pair of 3s. Pirates 27-19. A Cadet basket made it a 6 point Pirate lead 27-21. A third 3 by Rayle in the period put the Pirates up by 9, 30-21. A free throw by the Cadets cut the Pirate lead to 8 but Collin Hammond made it a 10 point Pirate lead with a basket Pirates 32-22. The Cadets made some defensive adjust following a break in the action and put in the next 10 points to tie the game at 32. Tegenkamp would finish off the third scoring with a free throw. Pirates 33-32 after 3.
It looked like it was going to be the Cadets night as they put the first 4 points in in the fourth to take a 36-33 lead. A Rayle basket made it a 1 point game 36-35. A Cadet basket pushed their lead back to 3, 38-35. Then a series of unfortunate events for the Cadets as the Pirates put up the next 10 points on a pair of 3s that came off rebounds for Rayle, and a 3 and free throw by Pitney. Pirates 45-38. The teams traded baskets to make it 47-40 Pirates. Then it was Rayle to the line to go 6-6 from the line while the Cadets hit a pair of 3s and converted a 3 point play. Pirates 53-49 final.
Monty Rayle led the Pirates with 26 points making five 3s. Quinn Tegenkamp put in 13 for the Pirates making two 3s. Jayden Pitney had 7 including two 3s. Collin Hammond scored 4 and Tyson Clementz put in 3. The Pirates had a 9 – 5 advantage on 3 point shots. The Pirates shot 10-22 from the line while the Cadets were 8-13.
The Pirates improve to 1-13 and will host Miller City in a makeup game on Friday. Hilltop falls to 6-8.
–Mike Jones, Sportswriter
