The Harbormen were up 14 by halftime and were never challenged after that Friday night in a 71-45 road win.
WHITMAN – There was a big-game atmosphere for the Patriot League Keenan Division Friday night crossroads matchup between Whitman-Hanson and Hingham.
The host Panthers came in at 5-1, while the Harbormen boasted a 6-1 overall mark, but both were 3-0 atop the Keenan boys basketball standings.
On paper it shaped up as a tight battle, but Hingham steadily pulled away for a 71-45 win.
John Gates scored 14 points to lead a balanced Harbormen attack. John Lowther added 13, and and five different players hit threes for Hingham.
Senior center Sean Leahy, fresh off a 25-point outing in Tuesday’s win over Duxbury, again led Whitman-Hanson, this time with 17.
Both teams had early foul trouble revamp their lineups. Whitman-Hanson forward Jacob Hanson Bartlett had three fouls by the end of the first quarter, and played sparingly, scoring just eight points.
Hingham’s Lowther and Jack Johnson both picked up early fouls and got lots of pine time.
“Tonight it all clicked for us,” said Harbormen coach Bob Kniffen. “But the real story is our guys off the bench. This win doesn’t happen without them – a guy like senior Jason Butler, who comes in off the bench and grabs 10 rebounds for us.
“Whitman-Hanson lives off their defensive pressure feeding their offense. We wanted to play with poise, control the ball and control the tempo. They are such a high-quality program, this is a really high-level win for us.”
Panthers coach Bob Rodgers lamented losing minutes from Hanson Bartlett.
“Jacob getting his third foul so early was a big factor in our first half,” Rodgers said. “But the main factor was how hard Hingham played, and how much they wanted this game. They have a lot of weapons, so it’s pick your poison. They are athletic and can shoot with anyone, so they are going to be tough to beat.”
A bunch of early Hingham turnovers helped the home team to a quick 7-2 lead, as Leahy looked unstoppable inside. But Hingham settled down, tied the score at 9-9, and rode a couple of hoops from senior Gray Boyd to a 16-12 edge after one quarter.
The turnover bug bit the Panthers as the second quarter began, and they lost the ball four times in the first two minutes, as Hingham took control.
A 13-2 run by the visitors put them up 29-14 with four minutes left in the half. Adding to the Harbormen edge, they canned five threes in the first half to just one for the Panthers.
Hingham senior guard Reggie Foster was a force as Hingham took a 39-25 lead into the half.
Leahy led Panther scoring with 13 points at the break, while Gates and Boyd had eight each for Hingham.
Whitman Hanson made some headway against Hingham’s man-to-man defense in the third quarter but couldn’t keep up with the visitors scoring, as a trio of treys helped Hingham take a 59-39 margin going into the final frame.
By the midway point of the fourth quarter, with Hingham on top 68-42, both sides cleared their benches.