The Hutto Hippos boys’ varsity basketball team started the new year off right with a 77-67 win over the Temple Wildcats.
The win brings the Hippos to a 1-1 record in district play this season, and they definitely had to earn it.
The game started out a very close contest, as both teams did not want to give the other an edge in the game. The teams traded offensive blows with each other in the first quarter, with the Hippos having the smallest possible lead of one point after the first quarter.
It was their first game back after the New Year’s holiday break, and it took them a bit to get warmed up, but it paid off as the Hippos had an outstanding second quarter. The Hippos offense was able to find a rhythm and swing momentum in their favor before halftime and were able to extend their lead to 10 points.
The second quarter saw the Hippos offense come to life as they added 22 points to their score, while Temple posted 13 points. That lead the teams to halftime, with a score of 36-26, setting up an intense second half.
The third quarter was dominated by the Hippos as they limited Temple to only nine points while scoring 14 of their own. With a comfortable 50-35 lead going into the fourth quarter, the Hippos set their sights on victory, while Temple had a little bit of life left for one final push.
In hopes of a late game comeback, Temple put up a staggering 32 points in the fourth quarter, trying to scratch and fight their way back to hand the Hippos their first home-court loss. The Hippos offense continued to hum, however, and put up 27 points in the fourth to bring the score to 77-67.
Hippos’ junior Zachary Hicks and seniors Dylon Richard, Al Diaby and JJ Washington all contributed massively on the offensive end in their win over Temple. All four of those players scored 12 or more points in their district win, with Hicks being at the top with 17 points.
Hicks’ big night was not done there, however, as he hauled in nine rebounds and added two steals to his stat line. Diaby joined Hicks with a strong defensive effort of his own with seven rebounds and four steals.
After the big win, the Hippos will have a couple of days off before traveling to Copperas Cove for their next district matchup on Friday, Jan. 6.
