Hanover uses 11-0 run to capture second regional title in a row
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Horton – A new year, almost an entirely new team, but the Hanover-Horton boys basketball team is enjoying some of the exact same accomplishments as last winter.
The most recent came Wednesday night as the Comets used an 11-0 run in the second half to get past Pewamo-Westphalia 58-49 to capture a Class C regional title for the second time in as many seasons.
“It means a lot,” coach Chad Mortimer said. “Mostly, it means the season continues. That’s always the goal.”
Hanover trailed 8-2 right out of the gate, but slowly battled back into the game.
Near the end of the third, the Comets trailed by five before an 11-0 run into the fourth quarter allowed the guys in red and white to grab the lead for good.
“That gave us some separation,” Mortimer said. “We had the lead and were able to make some plays.”
Hanover never looked back, pushing its record to 23-2 on the season while earning a trip to the quarterfinals next Tuesday.
“This group has come a long, long way,” Mortimer said. “There’s been plenty of growing pains. But they see why we’ve done things the way we have. They understand why we’ve worked so hard and pushed so much.”
So, with such great roster turnover from a team that reached the semifinals last season, why has this year’s group been able to duplicate so many of those same successes?
“They bought into being a team,” Mortimer said. “That was key. Secondly, they’ve committed to playing defense and not turning it over. That’s really helped.”
When the Comets won the district last week, Mortimer admitted there wasn’t much time to enjoy it.
“The district bleeds right into the regional week,” he said. “With this, with not playing until Tuesday, we can enjoy what we’ve done a little more.”
But not too much, things are only about to get tougher.
Hanover is set to travel to Tecumseh to take on Detroit Loyola (20-5) Tuesday at 7 p.m. with the winner headed to the Breslin Center for a semifinal.
“They are a very good team,” Mortimer said of Loyola. “We’re going to have our hands full.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.