'Cats face tougher Vikings team, still win

Thu. February 09, 2012 at 11:07 p.m. | By Powell Latimer | StarNews Staff Writer

The New Hanover boys basketball team ran into its toughest test of the conference season at Hoggard on Thursday.
New Hanover (22-1, 10-0) needed a stifling second-half defensive effort and 18 points from guard Mike Hickey to come away with a 63-53 win and an undefeated Mideastern record.
"This was a good win," New Hanover coach Kirk Angel said. "We're 10-0, we haven't done that in a long time."
The first meeting between the two teams was a 39-point blowout win by New Hanover, but the Vikings (16-6, 7-3) had put that game behind them. Hoggard led after the first quarter, went into the half tied and trailed by just one after three quarters
"We played Hoggard basketball tonight," Hoggard coach Brett Queen said. "We tried to play a zone and slow it down the last time we played them. That's not our game. So we ran with them. We played man-to-man with them the whole night and we had a chance to win in the fourth quarter."
New Hanover's defense and pressure took its toll on Hoggard. The Wildcats used time steals and a few big plays so stay in front.
Most of those big plays, especially in the second half, came from Hickey. The senior frequently put himself in good position, whether underneath the basket for a key putback or on the wing to turn a loose ball into a fast break. Hickey scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half.
"We had to stay in and fight to the end," Hickey said.
The Wildcats received another lift from junior center Nigel Holley. Holley put the Wildcats ahead to open the third quarter on a thunderous alley-oop, and followed that with an equally emphatic block. Holley finished with 12 points and six rebounds. The game was decided when Kadeem Allen's steal and breakaway jam gave New Hanover a 60-51 lead with 1:42 to play.

GIRLS
New Hanover 62, Hoggard 36
Shanta Williams scored a game-high 28 points for New Hanover and led the Wildcats to a win at Hoggard.
Hoggard remained close after the first quarter, but Williams broke the game open in the second. She scored 11 straight points as the Wildcats (12-10, 7-3) took advantage of Hoggard (6-14, 2-8) in transition to lead by 10 at halftime.
The Wildcats closed out the game on the defensive end, holding the Vikings to 14 points in the final two quarters.
New Hanover coach Vertha Dixon-Wright said, given her team's early struggles, the Wildcats' success has been a pleasant surprise.
"It's more of a shock than anything else," she said. "The kids have been working hard in practice and it's starting to pay off."
New Hanover boys and girls are 5-0 against Hoggard this season.