Kewpies’ rally falls short

It’s only fitting that the Hickman boys’ basketball team dropped another close game. This time, though, the season was on the line.

“It’s all over. It’s all over,” Camdenton fans chanted as the Kewpies started to fall apart in the final minute.

The Kewpies fell at home to the Camdenton Lakers 53-46 on Tuesday night, eliminating them from the Class 5 District 10 Tournament and putting an end to their tough season.

Hickman (7-18) pulled within two points of the sharp-shooting Lakers (13-11), but couldn’t secure a lead. The Kewpies’ best effort to close the gap, however, occurred when coach Jim Sutherland called a timeout in the fourth quarter to set up a full-court press.

After three consecutive Camdenton turnovers, Lakers’ fans went into an uproar when the next possession resulted in an errant pass that sailed out of bounds.

The Kewpies forced four consecutive turn-overs, the first happening with three minutes left.

“When you get that far down, you have to pick up the pace,” Sutherland said. “The press got us back into it.”

Lakers coach Jim Chandler worried as Hickman intensified the full-court pressure.

“Our kids lost focus in the press,” Chandler said.

“We got in a hurry and made some bad decisions, but we called a timeout to turn things around.”

Hickman senior Kyle Smith led several rallies by converting on critical possessions, but not even his crisp 3-point shooting could give the Kewpies the lead.

Smith finished with a team-high 17 points.

The Kewpies’ efforts did not go unnoticed by Chandler.

“Hickman did an excellent job in controlling the post game,” he said. “Our two leading scorers, Trevor Franklin and Forrest Shock, only combined for 18 points.

“Their defense was great, and their energy in the press toward the end of the game really hurt us.”

Although it ended the Kewpies’ season, the younger members of the team were enthusiastic about next year’s chances.

“I’ve got pretty high hopes,” sophomore center Logan Harris said. “I think we’ll definitely improve.

“I feel bad for our seniors, but I think they put up a pretty good effort.”