Kehler on Hoops: ELCO DEFEATS HAMBURG AREA 70-43

Written by: Dell Jackson on January 6, 2022

ELCO DEFEATS HAMBURG AREA 70-43

ELCO torched Hamburg Area’s 3-2 zone defense with a barrage of 3 pointers in the first half of a game in which the mercy rule was ultimately triggered on Wednesday night in Hamburg. ELCO began the game with an 8-0 run, and Hamburg Area never recovered.

This was a game in which neither team played attacking defense. The teams combined for a total of 41 points in the first quarter, largely on the basis of outside shooting. Hamburg Area’s offense was focused almost entirely on the perimeter, and they made three 3 pointers in the first frame. ELCO, often with a player in the high post when in a half court set, had more of a fluid offense. They had no trouble shooting over Hamburg Area’s zone, and they occasionally were able to get behind the zone to score on shots close to the basket. ELCO made four 3 pointers in the first quarter.

Despite being bombed from outside, Hamburg Area was still playing their 3-2 zone at the beginning of the second quarter. The zone was too soft, and ELCO continued to shoot over it. In the first four minutes of the second quarter, Hamburg Area committed six turnovers, and ELCO went on a 15-0 run, highlighted by three more 3 pointers. After the third of these 3 pointers, Hamburg Area switched to a man-to-man defense and stayed in it for the balance of the game. However, the damage was done, and ELCO led 50-21 at the end of the first half.

The mercy rule was triggered in the third quarter, and ELCO did not score from behind the arc in the second half. The game was not as close as the final score suggests.

ELCO out-rebounded Hamburg Area 34 to 21. Hamburg Area had only four offensive rebounds in the game, partially as a result of the perimeter orientation of their offense. Hamburg Area committed 20 turnovers in the game, 16 of them in the first half. Hamburg Area was crippled in this game by ball security problems, including a number of unforced turnovers. ELCO turned over the ball 10 times. From the free throw line, ELCO was 10 of 17, while Hamburg Area was 2 of 8. ELCO made eight 3 pointers, while Hamburg Area scored seven times from behind the arc, with four of those 3 pointers coming in the second half, when the game was out of reach.

This game illustrates the importance of momentum in high school basketball. At various times in the first half of this contest, ELCO had runs of 8-0, 12-0, and 15-0. Part of the strategy of the game is using combinations of time outs, substitutions, changes in defenses, changes of pace on offense, and other maneuvers to disrupt the opponent’s scoring runs. Very, very rarely does a high school team win a game in which it has surrendered a run of 10 points or more. In particular, it is common for many college and professional teams to take a time out when momentum is clearly on the side of the opposing team and to continue to take time outs if the opposing run continues.

ELCO 26 24 8 12-70
Hamburg Area 15 6 14 8-43

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