BY DAVID CAMPBELL
For the Daily Journal
Hauser used its size and outside shooting to roll over Greenwood Christian 78-53 in the boys basketball opener for both teams Tuesday in Greenwood.
The visiting Jets, with three players standing 6-foot-4 or taller, overwhelmed the smaller Cougars in the paint and on the glass.
And after that size established itself, Hauser began dropping shots from the perimeter.
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That combination was too much for Christian to overcome, which saw a 15-point deficit late in the third balloon to as many as 32 points in the fourth.
“They were really big and they shot the ball incredible; you have to take your hat off to them,” Greenwood Christian coach Jonny Marlin said. “At the same time, if a team shoots 60, 70 percent, you’re probably doing something wrong defensively. But they hit shots, they played hard and were very physical. They did what they wanted to do and they played a really good game.”
Hauser (1-0) turned over the ball seven times in the first quarter along and found itself trailing 9-7 midway through the frame. But the Jets eventually settled themselves, and when they did, they quickly took control.
Leading 14-11 after one quarter, the Jets opened the second on a 12-3 run to push the margin to 26-14, and they never looked back. Hauser led 36-23 at the break and still led by 14 (49-35) with 2:55 left in the third.
Using their size, the Jets ripped off an 11-0 run to pull away then outscored GCA 13-4 to start the fourth and turn the game into a rout.
Hauser put four players in double figures, led by 6-foot-9 senior center Alex Gross, who scored 15 points.
Greenwood Christian (0-1) had three players in double figures, but scoring came much harder for the Cougars. After going 2 of 19 from the 3-point line in the first half, GCA only hit one trey in the second.
“We’ve got to know time and score better. I’m fine with shooting 3s, but when you’re 2 of 19, you need to do something else,” Marlin said. “We have some things to work on.”
Quentin Steele and Champ McCorkle scored 11 points each to lead Greenwood Christian and Cooper Britt scored 10.
Greenwood Christian won’t play again until Dec. 1, when it heads to Heritage Christian.
