The Comets jumped out to a 12-2 lead with some great offensive execution and defensive stops.  Their defensive perimeter play was really solid and they forced the Titans into some tough situations.  They hit some contested twos and some second chance points to stay with 3 points at the half.

In the second half, Hillcrest increased the lead to 10 points, but some defensive miscues on the perimeter allowed the Titans to stay in it.  “I thought our defensive execution on Flatten, Jacobson and Crompton was fantastic,” noted Coach Garvin.  “Unfortunately, we allowed sophomore Jace Braseth to get loose from the outside and he knocked down some big shots for them, going for 27 points on 5-of-6 from 3-point range.”

Luke Christensen (24 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists) and Noah Brumfield (25 points, 6 rebounds) led the Hillcrest offensive effort, and Ethan Swedberg pulled down 8 boards.

“At the end of the game, Gabe Swedenburg came up with a huge offensive rebound that allowed us to run more time off the clock, and then we got a heady defensive team stop at the end of the game, culminating in a deflection from Noah Brumfield and a steal from Preston Berge to put the game away,” recalled Coach Garvin.

Garvin concluded, “I’m so thankful for these young men I get to coach.  We talked tonight about how special and yet how fragile a season like this is.  Apart from the competition itself, there is no shortage of opinions swirling about these young men, about what we should do as a team, or what they should do as a team or individuals.  If we can weather that storm, we’re going to have a lot of fun together to finish this year.  Smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors.  Adversity will come, and is here.  It’s simply a matter of how we as a team will respond to it.  I’m confident that these young men will make mistakes, but they will persevere through prayer, joy, effort and attitude.”

Hillcrest (21-4) will host Pelican Rapid on Friday night in their final regular season game.