Recap
Hawks (2-0) sweep the weekend with victory over Deerfield
By Michael Dort, Maine South senior guard
The Hawks took the court Saturday afternoon against Deerfield High School in their home opener, and second game in less than 24 hours after last night’s win against the Loyola Ramblers, 47-36.
Marko Anderson opened the scoring in the 1st quarter with a strong post move assisted by Ryan Leyden. Anderson later grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer and finished strong. Coming out of a timeout midway through the quarter, Marko Anderson hit another strong post shot to give himself and the Hawks 6 points, trailing the Warriors 10-6. The Hawks finished the quarter on a high note, with Nikola Zelenovic hitting a 3 pointer at the buzzer to make it 15-9 Warriors.
After the first quarter, Maine south trails to Deerfield by a score of 9-15.
— Maine South Hoops (@MaineSouthHoops) February 6, 2021
The Hawks started the 2nd quarter just as they ended the 1st with Nikola Zelenovic hitting another three-pointer assisted by Ryan Modert. After a timeout, Marko Anderson grabbed an offensive rebound and put it in to cut the Hawks deficit to 3, 17-14. With 5 minutes left in the half, Sean Gallery stepped up and took a pivotal charge that shifted the energy of the game towards the Hawks. Gallery hit a low-post hook coming off a screen from Marko Anderson to make the score 21-16 Warriors. Milan Adamovic hit a three-pointer from the wing then went down the floor and grabbed an important rebound to give the Hawks a chance to tie the game. Ryan Leyden made an impressive dive to a wide-open layup which tied the game at 21. The following play the Hawks showed great ball movement with Ryan Modert passing the ball to Sean Gallery in the post; Modert then cut for the ball and assisted Nikola Zelenovic on a wide-open three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Hawks a 24-21 lead. Modert followed this unselfish play with spectacular defense, forcing the Warriors to turn over the ball. The Hawks finished the half on a strong three-point play by Marko Anderson, capping an 18-point 2nd quarter and giving them a 27-23 lead.
At the half, Maine south leads Deerfield by a score 27-23.
— Maine South Hoops (@MaineSouthHoops) February 6, 2021
The Hawks started the 2nd half with aggressive defense, trapping Deerfield’s inbound pass, leading to an offensive foul drawn by Sean Gallery. The Hawks took advantage with Ryan Leyden finishing a strong layup. Marko Anderson continued to show his strength in the post, finishing a short hook shot assisted by Sean Gallery that put the Hawks up 31-26. Ryan Leyden later showed off his shooting ability, knocking down a 15-footer. Leyden then had an uncontested layup giving him six points in the quarter. A three-pointer from Milan Adamovic and a layup from Marko Anderson helped the Hawks build a six-point lead, 42-36. With a minute left in the 3rd, Sean Gallery and Marko Anderson connected on a beautiful give-and-go basket, and Milan Adamovic hit his second three-pointer of the quarter to give the Hawks a 45-38 lead entering the 4th.
At the end of the third quarter, Maine south leads Deerfield by a score of 45-38.
— Maine South Hoops (@MaineSouthHoops) February 6, 2021
The Hawks began the 4th quarter looking to put the game out of reach. Sean Gallery started the scoring on a strong post finish assisted by Ryan Leyden. On the next possession Gallery drove hard through the lane and finished a short floater to give the Hawks a 49-38 lead. Milan Adamovic later hit Marko Anderson, cutting to the basket for an easy layup. Anderson showed off his height by grabbing an offensive rebound over two Warriors and putting it in to make the score 53-41. Anderson gave the Hawks even more energy by converting a difficult and-one play to push the lead to 15 points. Sean Gallery finished two easy layups on back-to-back possessions to push the game out of reach. The scoring went to the final buzzer though, with junior Angelo Hajiharis getting a layup assisted by junior George Opacic as time ran out. The Hawks proved victorious in a high-scoring, back-and-forth battle with the Warriors, winning
64-46 and improving their record to 2-0.
Marko Anderson led the team in scoring with 24 points followed by 12 for Sean Gallery. Milan Adamovic and Nikola Zelenovic each knocked down three three-pointers giving, them nine points each. Ryan Leyden had eight points of his own, and Angelo Hajiharis had his first varsity basket giving him two! Along with his spectacular scoring, Marko Anderson had eight rebounds, six assists, and a block. Milan Adamovic led the team with two steals.
The Hawks look to continue their winning streak at Vernon Hills at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9.
Maine south (2-0) defeats Deerfield by a score of 64-46. Great performances to @Markoanderson12 with 24pts 6ast 8reb along with @seangallery12 12pts 6ast.
Next game is February 9 vs Vernon Hills at 7:30PM.
-Go Hawks!
— Maine South Hoops (@MaineSouthHoops) February 6, 2021
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