SOUR LAKE — A three-point barrage by the Hardin-Jefferson boys basketball team helped the Hawks take down Nederland, 76-56 on Tuesday night at home.
Led by 20 points from guard RJ Sears, the Hawks’ hot shooting was on display from start to finish. Hardin-Jefferson hit 11 shots from beyond the arc, with nine of those makes coming from either Sears or fellow guard Clayton Davis.
Hardin-Jefferson held a 15-point halftime advantage, and despite a brief comeback attempt by the Bulldogs, the Hawks led by as many as 24 points in the second half.
“This team is a good shooting team, so that’s no accident,” said Hawks head coach Clay Davis. “We’ve done this before, but by the same token, we have to shoot well from the perimeter because we’re not very big.”
Early on, Sears and Nederland guard Derrick Rhodes were each showing off their shooting range.
Sears scored 14 of his 20 total points in the first quarter as Hardin-Jefferson’s press defense led to three-point makes in transition.
“I was feeling good to start,” Sears said. “Credit my teammates for finding me.”
However, Rhodes kept Nederland in the game making three shots from beyond the arc in the opening period.
After the first quarter, Hardin-Jefferson led 20-15.
A frantic first-quarter pace slowed in the second, but the Hawks’ lead still grew. Senior guard Micah Brown got involved in the three-point parade, nailing two shots from long distance.
The second of those makes came from the corner as the halftime buzzer sounded. It gave Hardin-Jefferson its biggest lead up to that point at 41-26.
Nederland’s best stretch of the game came early in the third quarter. Rhodes continued to fuel the Bulldogs offense, making back-to-back threes that reduced the margin to single digits.
A 12-2 Nederland run cut Hardin-Jefferson’s lead to 43-38 as Davis called for timeout.
“We didn’t come out with much energy in the second half, and we knew they were going to make a run,” Davis said. “That’s a great Nederland program and coach (Brian) English is a great coach.”
The Hawks quickly responded to build their lead back up to double digits, and were never seriously threatened again.
After lighting up the scoreboard in the first half, Sears was more of a facilitator in the second. He often found open shooters like Clayton Davis, who made five three pointers after halftime to seal the win.
“A lot of people think RJ is just a scorer, but RJ is a playmaker,” coach Davis said. “He makes the players around him better.”
Rhodes finished with 20 points to match Sears in a losing effort. Nederland falls to 2-2 overall, with wins over Bridge City and Hamshire-Fannett.
Hardin-Jefferson improved to 4-1, and will play Big Sandy next Tuesday.
Matt Faye is a Sports Reporter and Columnist for the Beaumont Enterprise. Contact him at MFaye@BeaumontEnterprise.com or on Twitter by clicking here.
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