Behind the play of David Maxwell, the Parkston Trojans overcame a sluggish first half and defeated the previously unbeaten and top-rated Class B Hanson Beavers 54-49 in 27th annual Hanson Corn Palace Classic Saturday.
Maxwell, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored 14 of his game-high 21 points and blocked four of his five shots in the second half.
"(Maxwell) got some huge blocks for us tonight and when a guy does that in a high school game, everybody gets a little intimidated after seeing that," said Parkston coach Craig Bruening. "Defensively, it's nice to have him roaming around in the middle."
The contest started well for the Beavers with Tyson Gau scoring the game's first five points. With 13 minutes left in the first half, Hanson led 5-0.
But, at that point, a combination of poor shooting and turnovers -- 15 in the first half alone -- plagued the Beavers and over the next seven minutes the Trojans, ranked fifth in Class A, took full advantage. Parkston went on a 14-0 run and grabbed a 14-5 lead with seven minutes until intermission.
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Hanson responded as Parkston ran into its own streak of cold shooting and turnovers and, led by Gau and Pierce Smith, the Beavers closed the half with a 15-4 run and a 20-18 lead at halftime.
"(The first half) wasn't pretty, but both teams played good defense. (Hanson) is top-ranked for a reason, and not always is it for the offense," said Bruening. "We're struggling with the offensive right now, but defensively we played hard."
Parkston came out on fire to open the second half, going on a 13-0 run and grabbing a 31-20 advantage with 12 and a half minutes remaining.
Gau, Hanson's leading scorer, picked up his fourth foul with just over 12 minutes left to play, hindering any comeback hopes for the Beavers.
Jamin Bridge stopped the bleeding temporary for Hanson with a 3-point shot,but the Trojans went on a 16-8 run and had their big lead of the contest at 49-31 with five minutes left in the game.
Hanson tried to rally and pulled to within 53-46 with 11 seconds left to play, but two free throws from Jordan Powell put the game away for the Trojans.
A 3-point shot at the buzzer by Gau provided the final score and would be as close as Hanson would come.
Maxwell also led Parkston in rebounding with 15. Powell contributed 13 points.
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The Trojans (10-0) were 20-of-52 from the floor and 11-of-19 for 57 percent from the free throw line.
Parkston outrebounded Hanson 33-27 and committed 11 turnovers.
"We let (Maxwell) come out in the second half and take it to us," said Hanson coach Josh Oltmanns. "I don't know why we didn't have any intensity tonight. As far as the atmosphere, it doesn't get any better then this here at our classic. I was disappointed in the way we came out tonight. (Parkston) didn't come out and pressure us. We just made some bad mistakes."
Bridge led the Beavers offensively with 14 points, followed by Gau with 13 points and Smith with 11 points. Trevor Doyle pulled down nine rebounds.
Hanson was also without the services of 6-foot-5 senior center Craig Henglefelt, who was out with an injured ankle.
Hanson (9-1) was 17-of-52 for 42 percent from the floor and a cool 7-of-18 for 39 percent from the free-throw line.
Things don't get easier for Parkston as it travels to Platte Tuesday, while Hanson takes on Sanborn Central Thursday in Forestburg.
