Both Hopkins and Wayland continued their winning ways Friday night with victories against O-K Conference opponents.
The Viking boys pulled out a 58-50 verdict over Sparta to move their overall season record to 6-1. They’re also 1-0 in the O-K Silver Conference.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, took the measure of Cedar Springs 68-51 to lift their overall season record to 5-1, also 1-0 in the O-K Gold Conference.
It was the fifth straight triumph for Hopkins.
Trent Baugh had a huge game offensively, finishing with 15 points, 9 of them coming in the first half.
“He did a great job finishing at the rim and also knocked down some outside shots to stretch the defense,” said coach Jake Jewett.
Both Jayden Prather and Tristen Perry finished with 12 points apiece, and the balanced scoring made the Vikings difficult to defend. Zander Hitzler chipped in 8 points, with big baskets coming in the 4th quarter in a tight game. Micah Estelle also had some putbacks off of offensive rebounds and finished with 6.
Hopkins had a 13-point cushion at the half but Sparta made some outside shots off turnovers and inched back into the game.
“We also got in some foul trouble, where at one point it was 13-2 fouls us vs. them in the third quarter,” Jewett added. “But we were able to respond and battle through adversity.
“We need to have a stronger starts to our second halves, but I’m proud of the way we stuck together and stayed composed. It took a team effort on both ends of the floor to win that game.”
The Vikings’ next game is next Tuesday at home vs. Calvin Christian.
