The Hawkins Hawks entered their tilt with the Big Sandy Wildcats with 18 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 19. Hawkins strolled past Big Sandy with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 55-36. Given Hawkins' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 348th, while Big Sandy is ranked 1184th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Hawkins to victory were Paul Smith and Derek Hollman. Smith scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks, while Hollman dropped a double-double on 14 points and 15 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Larry Moungle, who scored nine points along with five rebounds.
Big Sandy's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Malijah Francis, who scored 11 points along with two steals. Francis hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Trey Coleman, who scored nine points.
Hawkins' win was their 15th straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 23-1. As for Big Sandy, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost 11 of their last 13 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.
Hawkins will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Union Grove at 7:30 p.m. Union Grove and Hawkins are at an even 5-5 over their past ten head-to-heads. Big Sandy won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Linden-Kildare at 2:30 p.m. on January 20th. The pair have had a bumpy ride up to this point with eight consecutive losses for Linden-Kildare and four for Big Sandy.
