HOPE
With the excitement of homecoming taking place and conference rival Edinburgh visiting, Hauser knew this was a chance to take a major step in the right direction.
In nail-biting fashion, the Jets contained a late comeback from the Lancers to come away with the 69-66 victory Friday night.
“It means everything to us confidence-wise,” said Jackson Paradise, who led Hauser with 21 points on the night. “Being able to get a conference win, coach (Nate) Cangany talked about us playing the whole game and coming out with energy, and we did that. It’s just a great win for us.”
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Both teams came out a little sloppy to begin the game, combining for nine total turnovers in the first quarter while the Lancers built a 17-16 lead. Neither team was able to gain an advantage in the second quarter, as both the Jets and Lancers scored 12 points to allow Edinburgh to go into the half up 29-28.
Leading 37-36 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Jets (3-3, 1-1) put the clamps down on Edinburgh, going on a 5-0 run over a two-and-a half-minute time frame, extending their lead to six. A late basket by Bryce Burton of Edinburgh cut the lead down to four heading into the fourth quarter.
The Jets used their defense yet again to begin the fourth quarter to stretch their lead. After the Lancers (3-4, 2-2) scored a bucket 30 seconds into the quarter, Hauser held them scoreless for the next three minutes during another 5-0 run to push the lead to nine.
“We want to be known as a defensive ball club,” Cangany said. “And when you defend like we did in certain stretches, you give yourself a chance to win on any given night.”
With a lead of 61-52 and two minutes remaining, Hauser seemed poised to run out the clock for victory. Burton had other plans, as he lead a 6-0 charge that cut the lead to four with a minute remaining. In the bonus, Hauser was able to sink six of its nine free throws late to hold onto the victory.
“Unfortunately that’s kind of been the common thread for us through our first six games,” said Lancers head coach Keith Witty of his team’s offensive dry spells in the second half. “Obviously it’s something we got to get better at.”
Coltan Henderson led the Lancers with 24 points, while Burton was close behind with 23.
