Kee Hawk 8th Grade Team Post 5-6 Season

The 8th grade boy’s basketball team opened the season against MFL MarMac on Thursday, January 13. After a tight game in the first half with a score of 18-19 at halftime, the Bulldogs were able to pull away for a 24-35 win.

Tom Kerndt and Travis Allie lead the scoring charge with six points a piece. Corey Stussy did a great job on the boards gathering seven rebounds with Jon Stirn collecting six. Kerndt and Allie also collected two steals each.

On Monday, January 17, the Kee Hawks entertained Waukon. The Kee Hawks started slow out the gates against the Indians resulting in an 11-27 halftime score. The Hawks were able to make some good things happen in the second half, but fell by a score of 26-43.

Leading scorers for the for the Hawks were Travis Allie with nine points followed by Tom Kerndt with eight and Jon Stirn with six. Corey Stussy was once again the leading rebounder with four.

The following evening the Kee Hawks traveled to Valley to face the Tigers. It was a hard fought game throughout with both teams battling back from 6 point deficits. The Tigers were able to force a couple turnovers late in the game resulting in four made free throws to help them pull away with the 22-27 victory. The loss dropped the 8th graders to a record of 0-3 on the season.

Tom Kerndt had a great overall game collecting ten points, three steals, and two rebounds on the night. Corey Stussy continued to be dominant on the boards pulling down 10 on the night. Also rebounding well was Jon Stirn and Eric Benzing collecting six and five boards. Maison Schoh played a stellar game on the defensive end forcing numerous turnovers and swiping three steals.

On Tuesday, January 25, the Hawks traveled to Postville looking for the first win of the season. The Kee Hawks battled hard, leaving everything on the floor, but fell by a score of 25-29. Turnovers and missed lay-ups ended up haunting the Hawks in their game against the Pirates.

The scoring charge was lead by Jon Stirn with eight points. Corey Stussy had a solid overall game with seven points, seven rebounds and five steals. Eric Benzing played a great game on defense collecting three steals and three boards on the evening. Stirn also ripped down four boards.

On Thursday, January 27, the Kee Hawks were looking for their first win of the season against the Warriors from Central Elkader. The Hawks were able to bolt out to a 24-14 halftime lead behind 14 first half points from Tom Kerndt. The Hawks were able to build the big lead with great team defense and rebounding. The same effort was given in the second half enabling the Hawks to garner their first victory of the season by a score of 36-28.

Tom Kerndt had an oustanding all around game from his guard position collecting 14 points and six steals on the night. Eric Benzing played his best all-around game of the season with nine points, five rebounds and two steals. Ace Roney was also able to come off the bench and provide a spark. Ace ended the night with three points and two rebounds, but it was his overall hustle that was most impressive. It was a great team effort for the first win of the season.

Next on the schedule was a date with the Eagles from Clayton Ridge. This proved to be a very tough match-up for the Kee Hawks. Turnovers and rebounds came back to haunt the Hawks in their 31-44 loss against the Eagles.

Leading the scoring attack for the Hawks was Kerndt with 13, Corey Stussy with eight and Travis Allie and Dustin Benzing each with four. Eric Benzing was the leading rebounder on the night with four. The team fought hard, but came up short in the end. The loss dropped the Hawks to 1-5 on the season.

The following evening the Valley Tigers came to town as the Kee Hawks looked to avenge a loss earlier in the season. The Tigers and Hawks battled back and forth the entire first half with the Hawks leading 7-5 after the first quarter and 19-13 at halftime. The Hawks came out on fire in the second half and outscored their opponent 10-2 in the third quarter and were able to pull out their second win of the season 37-29.

The balanced scoring barrage was lead by Kerndt with 10, Stirn and Stussy with six, Eric Benzing with five, Allie with four and Maison Schoh, Jordan Lapel and Dustin Benzing each scoring two Stirn had a monster game down low for the Hawks, ripping down 12 rebounds and playing tough defense all night. Eric Benzing and Stussy did a great job on the boards pulling down seven and five. It was a great team victory with all playing an important role in the win.

The Hawks entertained the Warriors from South Winneshiek on February 4. The Hawks were looking raise their record on the season to 3-5. Both teams started out of the gates slow, but midway through the first quarter the Warriors went on a run and closed the first quarter with a 10-2 lead. The Hawks were able to stay close in the second quarter, but the Warriors pulled away in the second half for the 39-15 victory.

Leading scorers in the game for the Hawks were Stussy with six, Allie with four, Dustin Benzing with three, and Kerndt with two. Kerndt and Stussy were leading rebounders each collecting five.

On Monday, February 7, the Hawks were able to get their third win of the season when they faced CFS from Calmar. The Hawks jumped out to a huge lead of 14-4 at halftime and went on to post a 24-15 win. It was a great all-around effort by the entire team.

The scoring was very balanced with Travis Allie leading the way with eight, Tom Kerndt with seven, Corey Stussy with six and Dustin Benzing with five. Allie was the leading rebounder with seven on the night followed by Stussy and his five boards. Dustin Benzing played his best game to date collecting four boards, two steals and a blocked shot to go along with his five points.

On Thursday, February 10, the Hawks traveled to Elkader to face the Warriors for the second time this season. The first game between the two clubs had resulted in a 36-28 victory for the Hawks. The entire game was back and forth and filled with some great intensity. The Hawks were able to pull it out in the end with a 34-31 victory. Individual states were not available for this game, but the win raised the Kee Hawks record to 4-6.

On Tuesday, February 15, the Hawks had a rematch with CFS looking for their third straight win. The Hawks got off to a very slow start, falling behind by a score of 11-20 at halftime. The Hawks bounced back in a big way outscoring CFS by a score of 16-5 in the third to take back the lead. They were able to hold on in the fourth quarter winning by a score of 36-31.

Tom Kerndt completely took over the game in the second half looking unstoppable at times. This resulted in him being the leading scorer with 18. He was also able to pull down three boards, collect two steals and ended the night with only one turnover. Jon Stirn had a big night for the Hawks as well. He ended up with five points, seven boards, three blocks and a steal. The win in the last game of the season raised the overall record of the Kee Hawks to 5-6.