DISTRICT 26 Season Records Davenport 4 0 1.000 Davenport 23 4 .852 CL Hawks 3 1 .750 Wimberley 19 8 .704 Wimberley 3 1 .750 Bandera 18 9 .667 Billies 1 3 .250 Billies 17 10 .630 Navarro 1 3 .250 CL Hawks 13 14 .481 Bandera 0 4 .000 Navarro 9 14 .381 Friday’s Games: Canyon Lake @ Bandera Davenport @ Wimberley Fredericksburg @ Navarro Wednesday Results: CL Hawks 50 Billies 47 Davenport 75 Bandera 55 Wimberley 67 Navarro 36 ===============================
Dalton Stromquist is going up Strom in pre-game warm-ups!
Canyon Lake was able to hold off a desperate Fredericksburg team who needed a win that would help for a chance to be invited for this year’s playoffs.
Now, looking at the standings above, there are 3 schools that find themselves 2 games behind a 3rd place spot and grouped with 2 other teams fighting for that 4th place playoff spot.
The Lake has been a fast starting team for most of this season and this night was no exception after securing a 16 point lead (38-22) with just 32 seconds before the final quarter.
This Billie team was ice cold during those two middle quarters while only mustering 10 points but this story was far from over as Freddie almost reached their 3 quarter game scoring (24 points) in that final quarter when they reached 23 points.
CLake was steady while never losing the lead but seeing this desperate school get within one point, 46-45 with 31 seconds remaining.
That was when this contest became a charity stripe game and those final two makes by Jacob Holland (who finished as high scorer 16 points) being enough for another hard fought win, 50-47.
Carter Williams finished with a double-double scoring 13 points with 10 rebounds it was his 7th double-double this season.
“Kids are starting to find their groove and hopefully we’re starting to peak at the right time,” Head Basketball Coach Monte Cole stated. “Just need to find a little more consistency and put four quarters together every game.”
Way to Go Hawks!!
The Hawks have Bandera as their last district opponent yet to be played before that final round of games finalizes who can actually punch their dance card for a post-season.
Post-Season is not a phrase that has been used much for CL’s previous 16 seasons. In fact, The Hawks have made the playoffs 3 times with each time playing one game. CL’s Boys Basketball was the last Hawk sport to make the playoffs.
A win on Friday would cement CL for this year by finishing their first round with one loss and a 4-1 record.
An undefeated Davenport will play an important game Friday at Wimberley. If the Texans win then a 3-way tie for first place and with a loss Wimbo would be placed 3rd spot in district play.
Go Hawks!
Reese Pipkin has been a valuable roll play for CLHS this season and has been the first player off the bench. On what he looks for when he waits to be called on, “I like to watch the offense and what I might expect when I enter the contest,” Pipkin said with resolve.
“Pipkin is very coachable,” Coach Cole interjected. “I let the players know what Fredericksburg likes to do coming out of our time-out and that was when Pipkin made a steal at the end of this game.
A player that is not a shoot first player but a guard that distributes the ball while filling out those little things in the stat sheet that keeps a team to stay in sync.
“The game is more intense and it matters more,” Pipkin said when asked the difference between non-district and district play. “We just need to keep our energy and not do anything different.”
Dalton Stromquist has morphed into a key Hawk in the middle of the paint as many times a game will be played off his high post when getting CL’s offense in attack mode.
Hit Man says way to get rid of those Pests Hawks!
On when this change came about during the end of December play, “I started to find open shots while I was calling for the ball,” Stromquist remembered. “I have gotten better and I am trying to go up every time and I just have more confidence.”
Stromquist talked bout how his needs changed with a mid-season injury to Williams, “I was the only person to get rebounds and I just stepped up to get them (rebounds) to help the team.”
On what the Hawk Nation can expect with Friday’s contest against Bandera, “I’m ready to get another win!”
Coach Cole also chimed in on how district play has had these Hawks improving their season stats when that has not been the case for a long time (ever), “We have a lot of Seniors and they know that every possession matters and everything this season has led up to this point. Our shot quality has been better and by playing 5A and 6A schools that has helped when we got into district play. I don’t care what our pre-district record is because what matters will be those earlier games and how they prepared us for district.”
Canyon Lake’s first round of district games has been on the road and now that will change the next go round but this has been a WOW of first games with two road wins against the Billies and Texans which are CL’s first time to win those two games on the road in The Lake’s history.
This Friday against Bandera will be a big hurdle since these Bulldogs need a win big time to salvage their season and CL can’t take this contest lackadaisical or they will have a long bus ride home with a missed opportunity.
The win over Fredericksburg would have been a loss last season, as keeping a lead, was the Hawk’s kryptonite then.
It’s time to plant another road flag as this next round will have Canyon Lake with 4 of their last 5 games at the Hawk Nest.
Let’s GO HAWKS!
————————————— 1 2 3 4 Final Freddie 12 7 5 23 47 CL Hawks (3-1) 17 12 9 12 50 3pt tot rebounds fgm-fga fgm-fga ftm-fta pts or-dr tot a s b to Jacob Holland 5-13 4-12 2-2 16 1-3 4 3 3 0 0 Jaxson Jeter 1-4 0-1 2-4 4 0-1 1 0 0 1 4 Phoenix Fuentes 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 0-2 2 2 0 0 1 Reese Pipkin 2-4 0-2 2-3 6 0-0 0 1 1 0 4 Carter Williams 6-10 0-0 1-2 13 3-7 10 5 3 1 2 Dalton Stromquist 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 2-4 6 1 0 1 1 Christian Cheatham 2-5 1-2 0-0 5 0-1 1 2 1 0 2 Eli Hammons 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 19-40 3-12 7-11 50 6-18 24 14 8 3 14 48% 25% 64%
Three weeks ago, The Lake, had a myriad of ways for a chance to earn a right to make the post-season in Boys Basketball.
