PFLUGERVILLE – The Hutto Hippos boys’ varsity basketball defeated the Weiss Wolves 61-41 Friday night to improve their record to 3-2 in district.
The Hippos picked up their victory on the road and keeps them in the mix for a spot in the playoffs.
The game started with the Hippos offense finding a rhythm and jumping out to an early lead. A three-pointer and block from junior Zachary Hicks set the tone for the Hippos early in the game, and his teammates followed suit.
Building off of the momentum Hicks created, seniors Dylon Richardson and Al Diaby put points up on the board. Richardson scored on a fast break for the Hippos while Diaby knocked down a shot from three-point range.
Defensively, the Hippos did what they normally do by forcing turnovers that lead to points on the offensive end, which led to a big lead for the Hippos after the first quarter. The Hippos found themselves with a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and looked to completely take over before halftime.
The Wolves responded in the second quarter and put up 14 points in an attempt to cut the Hippos lead down. But the Hippos scored 17 points in the second quarter to have a 32-22 lead headed into halftime.
The third quarter was reminiscent of the first quarter with the Hippos defense smothering the Wolves and limiting them to only seven points in the quarter. The strong Hippos defense led to offensive opportunities, which allowed the Hippos to add 17 more points to their lead before the fourth quarter.
With a comfortable 49-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Hippos set their sights on victory but the Wolves would go down swinging. The Wolves defense came out in the fourth quarter ready to rise to the occasion.
The Wolves ended the fourth quarter limiting the Hippos to 12 points, which was the lowest amount of point scored in a quarter by the Hippos all game. The Wolves offense responded to their improved defense scoring 12 points in the quarter as well for a 61-41 final.
Hicks sparked his team early on in the game, so it is only fitting that he led the team with 13 points Friday night. Richardson and Diaby were not far behind Hicks though as both of the seniors scored nine points to helped seal their third district win.
The Hippos next district matchup is Tuesday, Jan. 17, when they play Midway (Waco) on the road looking for their fourth district win of the season.
Hippos junior Zachary Hicks shooting free throws during game against Temple.
Photo by Larry Pelchat
Hippos senior Al Diaby slowing the pace of the game down to allow his teammates to get set up on offense.
Photo by Larry Pelchat
