For high school sports there are always questions entering the season, and this year’s boys’ basketball team was no exception. There is almost always a talent carryover from year to year, …
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For high school sports there are always questions entering the season, and this year’s boys’ basketball team was no exception. There is almost always a talent carryover from year to year, but it is never a sure thing the new players can gel with the returning varsity players. You need the right combination of returning starters and fresh talent to keep a program moving forward and having success. The Raiders have found that combination this year and now sit 8-3 overall and 3-1 in the Metro East Conference.
Hastings had two games last week, at Simley (4-4) on Jan. 7 where they won 73-41 and at home against North St. Paul (4-1) on Jan. 10, again, winning in dominant fashion, 75-53.
At Simley
Hastings took the lead and never really looked back, scoring 44 first half points to the Spartans 19. Games like these do not give much of an opportunity for the drama you find in the back-and-forth affair, but at the high school level, that is perfectly fine for the team that wins. Hastings dominated the game, winning 73-41.
With the control Hastings had after the first half, Head Coach Chad Feikema had the opportunity to get some of his younger bench players game time experience. 14 Raiders saw the floor with 12 tallying varsity points. Weston Schult led the way with 13 points, Matthew Foss had 12 and Brady Hendrickson 11. The starting five all had less than 25 minutes of playing time in the game.
Versus North St. Paul
The game against North St. Paul was almost a mirror image of the Simley game. Hastings built up a huge 42-23 first half lead and cleared the bench for game time experience for the younger players. This time, 16 Raiders logged minutes with nine scoring points. Hastings walked all over North St. Paul 75-53.
Matthew Foss was on fire in the first half scoring 20 points in his 25 minutes of play. Schult was right behind him with 14. Caleb Gudissa could not miss during that JV game so he played the first half of the varsity game where he scored 11. Marlowe Strain and Lukas Foss each had seven.
Up next
The Raiders will host Tartan in a battle for first place in the MEC on Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. then they travel to South St. Paul on Jan. 21 for a 7:00 p.m. tip. Jan. 23 the boys head to Mendota Heights to take on St. Thomas Academy also at 6:30 p.m.
