High-flying Harmon Hawks defeat Turner

by Brian Turrel

The Harmon Hawks boys’ basketball team continued their early-season unbeaten run, picking up their fifth victory of the year at Turner, 79-32 over the Golden Bears.

Harmon’s above-the-rim offense has overpowered most of their opponents this season. Turner hung tough through the opening period, with opportunistic defense and timely three-pointers from Arnaldo Silvestre and Cedric Bates to keep the margin close at 16-10.

In the second period, Hawks star Lonell Lane came off the bench and brought a lot of defensive intensity with him. The pace of play picked up, and the speed of the Hawks gave them a clear advantage. Lane was able to get inside the Bears’ defense, and scored 14 of the Hawks’ 22 points in the second quarter.

The Hawks continued their dominant run in the third quarter, holding the Bears to just 4 points. Mike Carson was a strong presence in the paint and able to challenge most of Turner’s inside moves.

The fourth quarter was an up-and-down race. Despite the margin, both teams kept up their intensity through the final buzzer.

Lane led the Hawks with 27 points in the game. Terrence Johnson and Mike Carson both added 13. Jadin Kimbrel was the high scorer for the Golden Bears with 8 points, and Cedric Bates dropped in 7.

Harmon heads to the holiday break with a 5-0 record. They’ll play a KCAL league game against Atchison on Jan. 10. Turner is still looking for its first win of the young season. The Bears will open 2020 with a United Kansas Conference home game against Louisburg on Jan. 7.