Cooper McGrath emerged from the hooting and hollering inside the Hillsboro High boys basketball locker room still visibly energized after the Hawks beat host Festus High 65-60 Feb. 6.
McGrath was asked how long the feeling of evening the Jefferson County Activities Association large-schools against the Tigers 1-1 would last.
McGrath, who led all scorers with 25 points, would have made the “Macho Man” Randy Savage proud with his response.
“My mind’s all messed up, man. I’m pumped. When I get home, I’m going to celebrate hard.”
Could Hillsboro summon the same energy when it played Cape Girardeau Notre Dame on Tuesday (after the Leader deadline)?
“We’re already fired up! There’s no getting back up! We’re goin! We’re goin!” McGrath said.
After losing four games in a row, the Hawks have won their last three and improved to 10-9 overall and 3-3 overall. With its first conference defeat, Festus (13-6, 5-1) hosts Windsor High (12-8, 4-1) on Friday night. The Owls can move a half-game into the lead with a win.The Tigers beat the Owls 75-56 in Imperial in December and Hillsboro 66-47 in January.
“I thought my guys played incredibly hard. Festus did too,” Hillsboro head coach DJ Hardy said. “They’re a really good team. We learned a lot from the first time we played them. The first time, the moment was a little too big for some of our guys. But we’ve played quality competition since then and have really gotten better.”
McGrath nailed two 3-point baskets early in the first quarter and made at least two field goals in all four quarters.
“Cooper is a great player. He’s super athletic and gets downhill really well,” Hardy said. “Takes it strong to the rim and he’s just a competitor. This game means a lot to him and the rest of the seniors.”
Festus head coach Dan Johnson said his team played good defense early but Hillsboro’s defensive pressure rushed the Tigers into bad decisions and turnovers.
“The second and third quarters were poor offensively,” Johnson said. “We ran out of time after digging too big of a hole. Against a good team, you can’t have those lulls.”
The game was close throughout. Jackson Smith ended the first quarter with a steal and layup for the Tigers, who led 23-20 with 5:05 left in the first half. The Hawks shut out Festus the remainder of the half and took a 28-23 lead into the break. Hillsboro buried four 3-point shots in the third – including one from 6-7 big man Colton Hicks – and its lead grew to 46-33 by the end of the third.
A basket by Karson Campbell early in the fourth put the Hawks comfortably ahead 50-33. Johnson’s son, Drew, sank four 3s and led the Tigers with 22 points. Johnson was fouled taking a trey and made the three free throws to cut his team’s deficit to 50-40. Another basket by Johnson made it 50-44 with 2:53 left, and the gym erupted when Braydon Wilkes followed with a basket from downtown; it was now a one-score game. With the Hawks leading 63-60 late in the fourth, Jackson Marks made a free throw.
Hicks and Wilkes each scored 17 points. Festus center Nate Womack had 12. Hardy said Hicks played a lot better against the Tigers in the second meeting.
“He’s getting better it seems like every game,” Dan Johnson said of Hicks. “He was more of a presence. They had a good defensive scheme to pressure our guards hard so we couldn’t see inside as well.”
Cape Notre Dame isn’t a conference or district opponent, but Hardy said the outcome is equally important. Cape has played Sikeston, Farmington and Cape Girardeau Central. All three are in Class 5 District 1 with the Hawks and Tigers.
“Cape is a common opponent throughout the district, so that’s a huge win for seeding.”