Mike Vukovcan HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– The objective of any team is to win and tonight the Hopewell HS boys basketball team didn’t do that, however, that doesn’t mean good things didn’t happen because they certainly did.
First things first, Hopewell took on a very good Quaker Valley team, which is now 8-3 overall, 3-0 in section play and one of the best teams in Class 4A.
Despite this and being the big underdog, the Vikings played hard, really hard and have nothing to be ashamed about. Coach Biega is building this program and isn’t quite to the level that the Quaker are yet.
Keep in mind, it’s only year one of this program rebuild.
When looking at tonight’s game, the deciding factor was Quaker Valley’s shooting from the outside as they made 10 3-point shots, compared to 0 for Hopewell. It wasn’t just one player; it was a team full of players that could shoot.
Coach Biega and his staff will watch this film, and a number of positives will no doubt stand out:
1) Brody Rock finished with 10 points but that wasn’t the story. Rock was a wizard with the ball and had a number of highlight assists to different Hopewell teammates. With his size, you don’t assume Rock can handle the ball and pass like he does but you know what they say about assuming something.
2) Jack Biega had arguably his best game of the season. Biega finished with 6 points but what stood out was how aggressive he was looking for his shot but also getting into the paint to find teammates.
3) Hopewell received tremendous production from his bench tonight as Avery Bokor, Zack Sampson and Jeremy Benninghoff each finished with 6 points. I was really impressed with the play of Sampson, who’s only a freshman. Being a guard, Sampson touched the ball a lot, but the moment didn’t look too big for him. He’s a natural scorer and didn’t force any shots and had a few nice really good looks from 3-point range. If this development can continue and he can provide consistent minutes like this, that would be huge for Biega’s team.
4) I was impressed with the way James Armstrong kept his composure despite being mugged and tugged upon nearly every possession. It would’ve been easy for him to retaliate, get frustrated and dish out physicality but he showed maturity and just played hard. By the way, Armstrong led Hopewell with 14 points.
HOPEWELL/QUAKER VALLEY RECAP:
1ST QUARTER:
-Quaker Valley jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before Hopewell got on the board. In transition, Tre Cameron found Rock for a layup, QV 8-2
-Armstrong with a steal near midcourt and drove the other end for a layup, QV 10-4
-QV increased their lead to 16-4, which included 4 3-pointers.
-Following an offensive rebound, Rock put it back up for 2, QV 19-6
-Senior Nick Adams with a steal near the sidelines and raced to the other end for a layup, QV 19-8
-Benninghoff received a nice entry pass in the paint and put it off the glass for 2, QV 21-10
-Rock with a miss from 3, Armstrong with an offensive rebound and a layup, QV 23-12
END OF 1ST QUARTER: Quaker Valley 23 Hopewell 12
2ND QUARTER:
-Rock with one of his many highlight assists, this one went to Bokor for a layup, QV 26-14
-Biega with a strong drive in the lane, makes the layup and is fouled, QV 28-17
-Sampson with a miss from the wing but Armstrong gobbles up the rebound and puts it back in for a layup, QV 28-19
-Bokor from the corner connects on a deep 2, QV 30-21
-Armstrong with another rebound and dished off to Benninghoff, who converts a layup, QV 34-23
-Rock with a drive and pass to Sampson for a layup, QV 39-25
-With seconds left before halftime, Rock drives with authority for 2, QV 39-27
HALFTIME: Quaker Valley 39 Hopewell 27
3RD QUARTER:
-Adams got Hopewell on the scoreboard first with a strong drive for 2, QV 39-29
-Next possession, Adams drove again but this time, passed off to Armstrong for 2, QV 39-31
-Next possession, Adams again this time to Rock, who flipped it off the glass for 2 more, QV 39-33 (that was as close as Hopewell would get)
-On a loose ball, Armstrong dove to the court and once he grabbed possession, he found Benninghoff for 2, QV 41-35
-Biega with a great drive down the middle, sucks the defense to him, and dishes off to Sampson for a layup, QV 48-38
-Great passing possession for Hopewell as Armstrong finds Rock, who hits Bokor with a no-look pass and Avery finished, QV 52-40
-Near the end of the quarter, Armstrong with a strong drive to the rim, makes the layup and is fouled, QV 52-42
END OF 3RD QUARTER: Quaker Valley 54 Hopewell 42
*In the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Hopewell hung with Quaker Valley and were only outscored 31-30. Two really strong quarters from this young team.
4TH QUARTER:
-Rock with another strong take and finds Adams with a tremendous pass, QV 56-44
-Bokor grabs a rebound and finds Sampson with a great tap pass and Zack finishes, QV 64-48
-I know it’s repetitive, but it happened, Rock with an A+ assist to Bokor for 2, QBV 66-50
-Sampson with a miss from 3 but Armstrong with another rebound and layup, QV 71-52
FINAL SCORE: QUAKER VALLEY 73 HOPEWELL 56
Hopewell will return to action this Friday when they host a very good Central Valley team.
