Hammond turns to defense for win over Heathwood Hall
Hammond coach Mark McClam was curious to how his team would respond after its 36-game winning streak had been snapped for its first loss in over a calendar year on Tuesday.
He probably will rest a little better going forward.
The nationally ranked Skyhawks are without the services of star Seventh Woods, who missed his second straight game with a knee injury, but a focus on defense turned out be key in the grind-it-out 49-44 victory over Heathwood Hall Friday night that allowed Hammond to remain in first in SCISA Region 1-3A.
McClam called Wednesday’s practice possibly the most intense of the season.
“We went really hard for about an hour and a half, and the only focus was on defense,” McClam said. “We didn’t play all that well in the loss to Ben Lippen, and being a defensive coach at heart, we wanted to go back to our roots.”
It was effective, especially in the second and fourth quarters when Hammond held the Highlanders without a field goal for long stretches to build a small lead.
Heathwood Hall (11-7, 3-2) was 2-for-11 from the field in the second quarter that allowed Hammond (20-1, 4-1) to stretch a one-point first quarter lead to a 24-18 lead at the half. The Skyhawks never trailed after that, even though the Highlanders pulled within 37-36 early in the fourth quarter.
That’s when Lucas Prickett got hot and the Hammond defense clamped down again. Prickett hit a layup, a 3-pointer and another layup as part of a 9-0 run that gave the Skyhawks the biggest lead of the game at 46-36 with less than three minutes remaining.
During that stretch, the Highlanders missed six straight shots, the front end of a one-and-one and turned it over twice. They didn’t score a field goal the first 5:24 of the fourth quarter.
“We got impatient, but give them credit,” Heathwood Hall coach Jeff Whalen said. “They played really hard on defense. People talk about Seventh being out, but that’s still a good team. These kids are good, they play hard and that’s what you want from your team. We didn’t show up offensively, and part of that is them playing hard.”
Seeing Prickett get hot was also a pleasant sight for McClam. The sophomore has struggled some with his shot, but nine of his 12 points came in the final quarter.
“Lucas had to adjust coming over from football, then he had some health problems, but he’s a capable shooter but has been a little off,” McClam said. “One of the benefits of having Seventh out is other guys have an opportunity to step up, and when he gets back that will only make us stronger.”
College of Charleston signee Chevez Goodwin was his typical self. The 6-foot-9 senior scored 18 points with 12 rebounds despite Heathwood packing the paint with a zone.
The question that Hammond has to face over the coming weeks is how long they might have to play without Woods. The guard that will play at North Carolina next season said he would see the doctor again on Monday.
McClam wasn’t concerned over what the results might be. He certainly wants Woods back sooner rather than later, but will not rush him back. One of the biggest factors Hammond faced without Woods was turnovers. The Skyhawks had close to 20 in the loss to Ben Lippen, and had 10 at the half against Heathwood Hall. They cleaned that up in the second half with just five.
“The guards were sort of shell-shocked playing that first game without Seventh, but they responded well,” McClam said. “It was nice to see so many of them contribute and they will continue to get opportunities. We’re not going to rush Seventh back. He has a bright future, and we’re going to do what is in his best interest.”
Matthew Lee scored 13 points for Heathwood Hall. Josh Caldwell scored all 12 of his points in the second half, but battled cramps that caused him to miss time in the fourth quarter.
HH: Matthew Lee 13, Josh Caldwell 12, Justice Hill 11, Joseph 5, Vaughn 3. H: Chevez Goodwin 18, Lucas Prickett 12, Turner 9, Lewis 4, Theodore 2, Yuchmow 2, Brown 2.
Girls
Hammond 75, Heathwood Hall 36
Trinity Johnson scored 22 points to help the Skyhawks remain perfect in SCISA Region 1-3A. Hammond received contributions from nine different players in the runaway victory.
Ahlea Myers added 12 points for the Skyhawks (16-2, 5-0). Mya Parter led Heathwood Hall (3-12, 1-4) with 15 points.
HH: Mya Parter 15, Buchanan 7, Hanna 4, McInnis 4, Whittaker 4, Goodwin 2. H: Trinity Johnson 22, Ahlea Myers 12, Giles 8, Felder 8, Hain 7, Walker 7, Clarke 6, Ogburu 3, Elenz 2.
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Hammond turns to defense for win over Heathwood Hall."