By WORTHY EVANS
Special to HSSR
Columbia - With four games left in the regular season, the Hammond boys basketball team (10-6, 3-2) is looking to finish as strongly as possible. The Skyhawks stand at third in SCISA Region 1-4A behind Cardinal Newman and Augusta Christian after Friday night’s 64-50 win over Ben Lippen.
They took on Laurence Manning Academy Tuesday, Jan. 30, and have two tough road games, at Augusta Christian Friday and at Cardinal Newman Tuesday, Feb. 6. Hammond closes out the season with a home game against Heathwood Hall.
Against Ben Lippen, freshman Jackson Ross scored 15 points, junior Mike Tyler added 14, and junior Jaiden Haltiwanger put up 10. The Falcons’ Braysen Stockman scored 37 points but the Hammond defense limited other Ben Lippen scorers to 13 points.
With no seniors on the team, the Skyhawks are led by Haltiwanger, who averages 23.0 points per game. Ross and sophomore Daylin Haltiwanger both average 14.0 points. Tyler averages 12.
In Hammond’s 49-36 win over Heathwood Hall Jan. 16, Ross scored 14 points and Haltiwanger added 13 points to lead the Skyhawks.
“Those two guys are pretty good basketball players.” Hammond head coach David Ross told the Columbia Star after the Highlanders game. “Jaiden has held down the fort while Jackson has been hurt for several weeks, but now he’s back and he’s been slowly getting integrated to the way the rest of the team is playing. This is probably his best performance so far, but we’re best when we’ve got five guys who are hard to guard, not just two.”
Since Skyhawks game the Skyhawks suffered region losses to the Cardinals Jan. 18 and to the Lions Jan. 23.
The Hammond girls (11-4, 2-1) are second in the region standings behind Heathwood Hall. Samira Khalil leads the Skyhawks with a 20.2 points per game average. Kayce Hyman averages 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds.
The Hammond wrestling team fell 42-34 to Cardinal Newman Jan 24, but earned a No.2 seed going into the SCISA state duals tournament this week. The Cardinals, who were a second seed last year and lost to state champion Ben Lippen, earned the top seed in the tournament with the win over Hammond.
Hammond’s Kirby Johns got a pin at the 215 weight class, Angesom Ladd won an 8-2 decision at the 120 class, Jaden Kine goat a decision at the 132 class, Blaze Barnes won the 138 class, Luke Martin got a pin at 144, Cobin Rabon got a pin at 150, and James Lay got a pin at 175 for the Skyhawks.
Hammond wrestling wrapped up the regular season Friday Jan. 26 defeating American Leadership Academy 54-18, and falling 39-35 to Dutch Fork.
The Skyhawks take the mats in the SCISA state playoffs Wednesday at home.
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