Too much Caden Hinker and Zane Alm in the second half trumped Campbell County’s hot start on Tuesday.
Mitchell received 43 total points from Hinker and Alm -- 32 in the second half -- to pull away from Campbell County for a 59-49 win at the Corn Palace.
Mitchell, which is 5-0 for the first time in 10 seasons, outscored the Camels (4-1) by a 39-19 margin in the second half.
“I thought they sped us up and made us play uncomfortable,” Mitchell coach Todd Neuendorf said. “They really took us out of our stuff in the first half and we settled in a little better in the second.”
So did Alm and Hinker. The 6-foot-10 Alm finished with 23 points and six rebounds, while the 6-foot-6 Hinker added 20 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our guards and the whole team really did a good job of working it inside, out and it just helped us pull together,” Hinker said. “We just got it right back where we wanted it and ended up winning that game.”
After Mitchell scored the game’s first six points, Campbell County surged ahead thanks to its outside shooting. The Camels drilled five 3-pointers to spark a 17-11 advantage early in the second quarter.
“Coach told us they would be shooters,” Hinker said. “But they came out hot and that’s what we expected. So we just had to kind of weather it.”
Campbell County hit just two more 3-pointers in the first half, but it was enough to take a 30-20 halftime lead. Campbell County speedy guard Luke Hladky initiated the offense and had nine points in the first half.
That’s when Hinker and Alm began imposing their will. After combining for just 11 points in the first half, the duo scored 19 points in a seesaw third quarter.
Neuendorf said he put the pair on the same side of the floor and that sparked the run.
“Those big guys seem to be better passers with one another,” Neuendorf said. “We put them on the same side of the floor and then we started running some of our sets. We went through a couple of those and got some looks that way.”
Hinker knotted the score at 44-44 early in the fourth quarter, while Alm gave the Kernels a 46-44 lead with 6:46 left. The Kernels closed on a 13-5 run as the Camels began missing shots from the perimeter.
ADVERTISEMENT
Campbell County went 7 of 19 from the 3-point line in the first half, but 5 of 19 in the final 16 minutes.
“I thought they were tired,” Neuendorf said. “Even at the end they were trying to get a three off and we made them run about 25 seconds of the 35 off before they got one up there. So I have to give our kids a lot of credit defensively.”
The Camels got within 52-47 on a Hladky 3-pointer with 3:47 left. But Ben Helleloid’s triple made it an eight-point advantage and the Kernels closed it out from there.
Hladky finished with 18 points, while Jefferson Neary scored 13 points for the Camels. Campbell County plays at Yankton on Wednesday.
The Kernels host Thunder Basin at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Corn Palace. Thunder Basin lost to Yankton, 65-50, on Tuesday.
Mitchell 59, Campbell County 49
Campbell County (4-1): Luke Hladky 5-19 3-4 18, Gabe Gibson 2-5 0-0 5, Jefferson Neary 5-16 0-0 13, Austin Robertson 2-7 0-0 4, Logan Dymond 1-2 0-0 3, Austin Crimm 1-1 0-0 3, Nash Lutgen 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 17-51 3-4 49.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mitchell (5-0): Caden Hinker 8-15 3-4 20, Zane Alm 10-13 3-4 23, Ben Helleloid 2-5 2-2 6, Dylan Soulek 1-3 0-0 2, Jonah Schmidt 3-6 0-0 6, Steele Morgan 0-1 0-0 2, Lucas Moller 0-1 0-0 0, Gavyn Degen 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-46 8-12 59.
CC 12 30 44 49
M 11 20 41 59
3-point field goals: CC 12-38 (Hladky 5-15, Gibson 1-4, Neary 3-12, Dymond 1-1, Crimm 1-1, Lutgen 1-1); MHS 3-8 (Hinker 1-3, Alm 0-1, Helleloid 2-2, Soulek 0-1, Degen 0-1). Rebounds: CC 22 (Hladky 5, Lemm 5); MHS 38 (Hinker 13). Assists: CC 11 (Hladky 5); MHS 17 (Hinker 7).
