Hot Springs: 32 Victor: 19

HOT SPRINGS – After a close game, where they were fighting for every point, the Savage Heat claimed a victory against the Victor Pirates.

The game started with the team in a deadlock, trying to get ahead. Victor kept close, matching the boys point for point. The Savage Heat started gaining a lead, but Victor was right behind them. The first quarter closed with a score of 16-12 to Hot Springs.

The rest of the half was similar, with both teams keeping close. Hot Springs was able to break away again, though, gaining a strong lead and opening the score to a 10-point gap. The boys were able to open the score while their defense kept Victor down to only a handful of points. The first half ended with a score of 32-19 to the Savage Heat.

As the second half opened, Victor rallied and made an amazing come back. They came close to tying the game and made themselves a serious threat again; the home team kept ahead, though, and was able to hold onto their lead the whole time. By the end of the game, the score boards announced Hot Springs was ahead with a score of 51-46.

Head Coach Ricky DePoe felt the team struggled a little during the game, especially in the third quarter. They rallied in the fourth, though, and were able to keep Victor from rushing too far ahead.

The coach recalled their perimeter shooting was an issu and the looks to open players did not come together well. Their shots also had some issues going in on several occasions.

The coach felt the team’s defense slipped and should not have been as light as it was this late in the season. DePoe was not satisfied with their defensive plays and said they should have been playing better.

Team’s captains were confident they could do better. They said they needed to work on defense during practice and get right back to it. Co-Captain Trevor Paro felt they played well as a team; he noted they were playing great and they just started having trouble with some of their shots in the second half.

There were a number of good plays during the game, though; DePoe noted Jack Dalson took over things in the first half, scoring the majority of points. Paro and Zack Osborne led the team in the second half, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively.

“They were doing a really good job,” DePoe said of Paro and Osborne. “They’re the only two that scored in the second half.”

This week, the Savage Heat play in Noxon, Friday, and against Plains at home on Saturday. DePoe noted both teams were good, but felt the Plains game would be a big one.

“I think it’s for second or third place,” he said. “That’ll really be a big difference, right there. It’ll be interesting.”