By Erik Harris
MOUNTAIN BROOK – Hewitt-Trussville interim head basketball coach Marcus Thomas had a simple message following his team’s, 87-61, road loss on Tuesday night.
“We will not lose to this team again, not like this,” said Thomas following the Huskies’ stumble at No. 2 Mountain Brook. “I know what’s going on.”
The loss came in Class 7A, Area 6 play and sunk Hewitt-Trussville’s league mark to 1-2. The Spartans now hold a 2-1 area record.
Mountain Brook played fast from the opening tip and wasted no time taking command of the contest. They swarmed the visitors with pressure defense, which led to transition offense as they jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter.
Hewitt-Trussville finally got on the scoreboard when Chris Lewis took an inbound pass and turned it into a 3-pointer from right of the circle with 3:30 left in the first quarter. On the next trip down the floor, Sam Frazier sank another triple to pull the guests to within nine, and eventually cut the deficit to seven by the end of the first frame.
With Mountain Brook clinging to a three-point advantage midway through the second, its offense caught traction once again. A drive and finish by Spartans’ center Trendon Watford ended the first half with the hosts leading 40-29.
Watford went for a game-high 21 points. Ben McCool wasn’t far behind with 18 points while Jack Kline ended the night with 13.
As a team, Mountain Brook shot 57 percent from the field to capture their second league win of the year. When shooting inside the arc, they connected on 66 percent of their attempts.
For Hewitt-Trussville, Damon Harper led the way with 13 points while Lewis and Josh Monski went for 11 apiece.
The Huskies get back to Area 6 play on Friday night at No. 1 Spain Park.
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor for the Trussville Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @jeharris2 or email him at jmseharris2@gmail.com.