Webb boys were ready for another big-game environment.
Playing in front of a sold-out home crowd, the defending state champion Spartans completed the regular-season sweep of rival Catholic, winning 71-55 on Friday night.
After a tight first half where neither team nor individual player found a rhythm, Webb (26-2, 6-0 Division II-AA East Region) was the team in the second half and pulled away.
The Spartans led 30-25 at intermission, went on an 8-0 run to begin the third quarter and led by double figures most of the second half. The run was highlighted by 3-pointers from senior guards Wilson Luton and Brayden Hazelbaker.
“Proud, just proud, it comes down to that,” Spartans coach Ricky Norris said about the way his team played.
“That’s a team we have a ton of respect for. We respect their talent and their coaching staff. They’ve got a good plan and compete really hard, and we know every time we play them we have to be at our best.
“ … This is a big game, we’ve got five seniors, and any time you win a rivalry game like that it’s a memory they’re going to have forever.”
The first matchup, a 78-73 Webb victory on Jan. 22, was all about Hazelbaker’s 35 points. Hazelbaker started at Webb, played his sophomore and junior seasons at Maryville and is now back at Webb.
Friday, the Spartans were incredibly balanced, with Hazelbaker scoring 17 points, senior guard Owen Lentz 16, senior wing Cam Swearengen 14 and junior guard Huston Torres 13 off the bench.
“I think that says a lot because Brayden was unbelievable in the first game,” Norris said.
“ … But Brayden, he’s really done a good job of fitting in. These guys, we had senior night the other night, and there were pictures going back to when they were in fourth and fifth grade playing with each other, and (Brayden) like the rest of our guys, they’re all unselfish.
“When they take a bad shot or have a bad decision it’s all from a good place of wanting to help the team. It’s not ‘I’m trying to get mine,’ it comes from a good place. All of our guys have done a great job with that, I’m the lucky one to get to coach them and they’re a special group.”
Catholic’s star players — Eastern Kentucky signee Cade Murphy (20.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Michigan signee Malachi Brown (15.7 ppg, 2.5 spg, 1.5 bpg) — were held relatively in check.
Brown came on strong in the fourth quarter and led Catholic (18-5, 4-2) with 16 points. Murphy finished with nine points.
Norris said the defensive gameplan revolved around Murphy.
“They’ve got a bunch of guys that can score, but I think their offense starts with Cade Murphy. He’s the focal point a lot. I thought we did a pretty good job, we lost him three or four times in the first half and we were playing with fire and got lucky, he’s such a good player.
“And the rest of their guys get downhill on the drive so well, so I thought we had some good possessions where we guarded the drive. There were others where I wasn’t happy with our ability to rebound balls that were shot in the paint. They got a lot of second-chance points on balls that were shot inside, so we have to clean that up, but it wasn’t for lack of effort.
“That was just two teams going hard at each other.”
Catholic was held to its second-lowest point total of the season, and like in the first meeting struggled from distance, shooting 2 of 11 on 3-pointers.
You wouldn’t know it based on the 16-game winning streak the Spartans are on, but Swearengen, a South Dakota State signee and state tournament MVP last season, said it’s been a difficult stretch for Webb, and Friday’s game was a chance to put everything together.
“I feel like we played amazing tonight. I feel like we finally put it together. It took a week of some great practices because the weeks before we were sick, had guys injured, so we really couldn’t get it together and put together a good practice in order to prepare for our weeks.
“I would credit our performance to our practice and the time we spent preparing.”
Lentz and Torres were vital to keeping Catholic at bay in the fourth quarter with eight and six points, respectively.
Torres’ baskets were all at the rim as the Spartans did a good job of breaking Catholic’s pressure. Lentz converted a three-point play to give Webb its largest lead of the evening at 63-45, and shortly after hit a 3 to give the Spartans a 66-51 advantage.
Looking ahead, Norris knows he is about to see a special senior class graduate, and wants to make the most of the rest of the season.
“We’ve got four weeks left together, and I think they know that and they feel that.
“So I just want them to go let it loose. Go play loose, there’s no pressure in this thing. We get to be together and play the game we all love for the next four weeks.
“No regrets, leave it out on the floor, and I think you saw tonight this bunch is going to play and they’re going to compete.”
Article written by Matthew Lutey/ 5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc., visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2025 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.
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