Hawklets Hold Off Lancers in Front of Raucous Home Crowd

On Friday, January 27, in front of a packed house, the Rockhurst Hawklets reclaimed bragging rights in the annual basketball game against Shawnee Mission East after losing the past three years.

The Hawklet’s started out strong, with senior Hayden Spachman scoring the first basket after an offensive rebound from junior Thomas Coppinger. After East scored, Rockhurst went on a run. Junior Braden Lamley hit back-to-back three pointers, making the score 8-2. By the end of the first quarter, the Hawklets were leading 13-12.

Lamley kept it rolling in the second quarter, scoring the Hawlets’ first six points on a pair of threes, which was followed by yet another three pointer by junior Cooper Scott. Going into halftime, the Hawklets maintained their one-point lead, 24 to 23.

“I felt good with how we were playing,” Lamley said. “Shots were falling and our energy was great.”

The third quarter opened with back-to-back buckets by Spachman, making the score 28-23. Rockhurst held onto that five-point margin when the third quarter was all said and done.

During the fourth quarter, tensions rose as the Lancers shortened the lead to 37-34 with only two minutes remaining in the game. In the final seconds, Scott made both of his free throws, locking in the Rockhurst victory with a final score of 45-38.

“I felt confident going up to the line in the final seconds of the game,” Scott said. “Coach put me in to make those free throws, and I knew I could. After I hit the last two I knew we won the game. It was a great feeling.”

The game improved the Hawklets’ record to 7-10.