Basketball Hawks follow victory with back-to-back losses

The Kee boys basketball team started the week off on the right foot with a 46-42 victory against MFL/Mar-Mac Tuesday, Jan. 25. It took the Kee Hawks a while to adjust to MFL's game plan, therefore, the Hawks remained behind for most of the game. In fact, it wasn't until a few minutes into the fourth quarter that Kee really started to creep closer to the lead.
      It was an uphill battle for Kee right up to the last couple of minutes. The breaking point came with less than two minutes left of the fourth quarter when Jordan Duffy was fouled on a shot attempt. He then managed to drain both of his free throws, tying the game up, 36-36.
      Quin Schultz immediately followed Duffy with a three-point blast, and sent the Hawks into overdrive. In the aftermath, the Hawks fed off the adrenaline and gained themselves a victory.
      Gabe Schultz led the Hawks offensively with 14 points, while Duffy and Quin Schultz contributed 10 points apiece to the scoreboard as well. Dan Mohn led the Hawks when it came to the defensive aspect, as he managed to tear down ten boards and block three shots. Justin Harris also ripped down nine rebounds, while Duffy helped out by grabbing eight boards.

      Unfortunately, the Hawks' good fortune was brief. Friday, Jan. 28, Kee fell to the Clayton Ridge Eagles by a final score of 35-58. Going into Friday night's game the Eagles held a season record of 11-1. Consequently, Clayton Ridge played with confidence, while Kee lagged behind with uncertainty.
      The competition was marginal, at the end of the first half the scoreboard read 18-38, in favor of the Eagles. The Hawks picked it up in the second half, however, the effort was not nearly enough to close the gap.
      Although Gabe Schultz scored significantly under his 16 point per game average, he still managed to be a leading scorer, along with Dan Mohn , and Jordan Duffy, all of whom had six points apiece. Gabe Schultz and Quin Schultz led the Hawks defensively; they each grabbed five boards.
      Not only did Kee suffer a loss Friday night, but the boys managed to carry the mourning process onto the court Saturday night as well. The Postville Pirates defeated the Hawks, 55-44, Jan. 29.
      Kee started the game off aggressively and the first quarter breezed by with the Hawks in the leading position. However, the rest of the game didn't follow in its wake.
      Postville managed to attain season high rebound and steal numbers, while maintaining around a 30 percent field goal percentage, which also happened to be a season high.
      However, Kee's numbers were just the opposite. Although Kee also had a field goal percentage of 30, it happened to be their second lowest of the year. The Hawks also struggled when it came to passing. Consequently, they had 27 turnovers - another season extreme.
      Gabe Schultz led the Hawks once again in points, with 14, and he was followed by Jordan Duffy with nine, then Dan Mohn with eight. Schultz also led in rebounds, along with Mitchell Manning, both boys ripping down five apiece.