Mike Vukovcan HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– Thanks in part to strong defense, the ability to put together in-game runs and the duo of Brody Rock and James Armstrong, the Hopewell HS Boys basketball team defeated New Brighton, 84-69.
The story line of the game was that Hopewell jumped out to a double-digit lead and aside from a short time in the 3rd quarter when New Brighton cut it to single digits, the lead stayed between 12 and 18 the entire game.
In the end, the inside productivity of Rock and Armstong were just too much for New Brighton to handle. Rock proved to be a nightmare matchup because of his ability to shoot from the outside, drive to the hoop as well as post his defender up.
Armstrong was his normal dominant self-down low in the paint. The only thing that slowed him down was him getting in foul trouble, which prevented him from being aggressive both offensively and especially defensively
A positive from last night and something that needs to continue was the productivity that Hopewell got from the guard position. One thing that needs to get better is Hopewell’s rebounding. In the second half, New Brighton got a number of second chance baskets, which kept them in the game.
Hopewell Score Sheet: Brody Rock with 27, James Armstrong with 23, Nick Adams with 9, Jeremy Benninghoff with 8, Jack Biega with 5, Tre Cameron with 5 and Riley Biggins with 3.
With the win, Hopewell improved their overall record to 3-0 and will return to action on Tuesday when they host Keystone Oaks.
After the game, Vikings Sports Now spoke with Hopewell HC Doug Biega.
