Tonight I returned to the Hive at Hickory High School for the first boys basketball game for this blog for a midseason showdown between the homestanding Hickory Hornets and the visiting Sharon Tigers.
Sharon won the junior varsity undercard.
Hickory came into the main event - the first one of the new decade - off of a historic overtime victory over Philadelphia powerhouse Constitution to close out the old decade.
And Donald Whitehead and Peyton Mele set the tone combining for eight early points. It was Mele who hit the first trifecta of the night. Mele eventually finished four for four from the field with 14 points to go with 14 rebounds for a double double.
Connor Evans scored the first points off the bench for the hosts, who led 19-10 after one.
Matt Cannone had four of his first six points come in the paint. Jackson Pryts would contribute 4 points off the bench in the second quarter. Evans' first 4 points came in the paint. Sharon's first trifecta came from Shawn Hill. But Whitehead finished the first half with 10 points for the Hornets, who led 33-17 at the intermission.
But Mele set the tone for the second half with two trifectas in a row to spark a 10-0 Hickory run early in the half. The Hornets ended the third quarter with a 50-25 advantage.
However, the Hornets started the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run. Sharon made a late rally, but the barn door was locked and the horse was out. Hickory held on to win the game 63-42.
Although Donald Whitehead led all scorers with 17 points, Peyton Mele was named player of the game with his 14 point, 14 rebound double double. Connor Evans' 7 points off the bench was enough to earn him the Sub of the Game honors.
The win raises the Hornets' record in region 5 to 6-0 and 7-3 overall. Sharon fell to 3-2 in region 5 and 5-5 overall.
This was round one of the rivalry. Round two will be later this month.
The difference between this game and the Hickory-Sharon football game in August was that I did not make another wager with a Tigers fan on the outcome. I had already done that in August when I wagered birthday balloons with Molly Bundrant on the outcome of the Hickory-Sharon football game, which I won and await Molly Bundrant paying up on the wager in July.
The next game I will cover will likely be a girls basketball game. Where will it be at, you ask? Like I said before, you will have to stay tuned to this blog, because with basketball, you never know where I will show up with my iPad and stylus!
