Midgets can't sustain hot-shooting 1st half, Cook boils Hurley for 52

HURLEY - Hurley scored at Washburn's pace for a half, but they couldn't maintain it for the entire game.

And they couldn't stop Trevor Cook.

Not that anyone else has been able to either.

Cook led the Castle Guards (8-4, 7-3) with 52 points in Friday night's 77-63 Indianhead Conference victory over Hurley (4-9, 4-6).

The 6-1 senior didn't get to the hoop all that often, but boy did he put on a shooting clinic, whether from 3 or mid-range, it didn't matter.

"We didn't give up a ton of layups to him, he just hit a ton of shots over the top of us," Hurley coach Mike Swartz said. "He can just dribble into the paint, elevate over the top and hit shots. I've never seen somebody with that ability to consistently hit shots - while being guarded, just create for himself like that."

A big homecoming crowd filled the gym for the game between the longtime Indianhead rivals and the teams put on a show in the first half.

Hurley led 39-35 at halftime, boosted by shooting 8 of 14 from behind the arc.

The Midgets were up by seven twice and six two times in the first half. Isaac DeCarlo and Carson Thewis both had three 3s and Justin Sukanen two before halftime.

"They shot unbelievable that first half," Gasperini said. "They were making 3s from everywhere. I said, 'If they're going to continue to shoot like that, they're going to beat us.' But we did a better job of contesting the 3s and that was the difference. They didn't shoot the ball nearly as well in the second half."

Hurley certainly didn't need the halftime break, as they went 0 of 9 from 3 in the second half and Washburn's offensive pace didn't let up a bit.

"I knew it would be hard for us to match our first half," Swartz said. "That's the best half of basketball we played all year. The ball was flying around and we hit shots. Second half, I don't know if we lost our legs or what. We didn't hit shots and the ball didn't move as much. It stuck in some guys' hands. When we had the zone rocking, we got good shots all night against it. But first half, we made those good shots, second half, we didn't make them."

The Castle Guards got their first bit of separation when Brady Stephenson scored eight points. That mixed with a Cook bucket put Washburn up 59-49 before the halfway point of the half.

Swartz said they went to a diamond-and-one to try to stop Cook there and Stephenson took advantage.

"Brady has learned to feed off Trevor," Gasperini said. "Trevor gets the double team, he knows he's going to be open."

But the Midgets, like every other Indianhead team, had no answer all night for Cook, who came into the game averaging 37.4 points.

Gasperini couldn't come up with a better shooter that he's coached.

"I had (Cody) Tomlinson a couple years ago, who was great at taking the ball to the basket, but Trevor Cook can flat out shoot the ball," Gasperini said. "Inside, outside, and he's very, very smart as you saw at the end. He knows when to attack, when to keep it out, that sort of thing. I'm glad he's on our team."

Gasperini said he's a good teammate as well.

"He's a great kid, he's very coachable," he said. "The most important thing with Trevor, if you could have seen him right now, he's about just winning. All he wants to do is win. If he's got to get 50, if he's got to get 20, if we win, he's happy."

"He makes the young guys better. He got them all kinds of open looks at the beginning of the second half. He encourages them all the time."

Hurley tried multiple defenses to try and at least contain Cook, who scored 52 in a win over Mellen earlier this year. He went 32 of 33 at the free throw line that night, but it was all about him creating his own shot Friday night.

"Dante (Bender), Josh Quello and Scott Subert, they did everything asked of them," Swartz said. "We started off with Dante playing off a little bit and contesting over the top. Then we went with Josh denying him a little bit more and maybe making him turn and try wearing him out a little bit. He still got his there. Then we went with basically a diamond-and-one deal. Then the Stephenson hits a few 3s and gets going offensively.

"Trevor gave us problems. We couldn't figure it out, we couldn't figure out how to slow him down. Great shooter. Greasy in the lane, give him a little opening, he can cut through it, get to the rim on you."

Thewis scored 13 points in the first half and led Hurley with 21 points. DeCarlo had 18 and Bender scored 12.

Hurley goes to Butternut Tuesday.

Washburn - Hale Hoglund 2, Charlie Motiff 1, Brady Stephenson 11, Trevor Cook 52, Cody Christianson 5, Sebastian Tenney 6. FTs: 10-15. Fouls: 10. Fouled out: None. 3-pointers: Cook 6, Stephenson 3.

Hurley - Isaac DeCarlo 18, Carson Thewis 21, Dante Bender 12, Tandrell Foster 2, Justin Sukanen 6, Scott Subert 4. FTs: 5-8. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: None. 3-poitners: DeCarlo 3, Thewis 3, Sukanen 2.

Washburn 35 77

Hurley 39 63