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Progress leads to a Hoffman Estates victory

Coach Luke Yanule could see his team getting better with each game at the Grant Thanksgiving Tournament. The only thing missing was a positive end result for his Hoffman Estates boys basketball team.

Well, now the Hawks have that, too.

Thanks to a stingy defense and a 19-point second-half performance from senior guard Jorden Thornton, the Hawks earned their first win of the season by downing Lake Zurich 44-26. The outcome also guaranteed that Waukegan would win the tournament. Lake Zurich wound up third overall.

"If you look at some of the other games in this tournament, we have pretty much been in every game," Yanule said. "We have been there but we haven't been finishing games."

Hoffman Estates (1-4) started and finished Saturday night thanks in large part to its defense. The Hawks held Lake Zurich (3-2) to 1 field goal each in the first and third quarters, allowing Hoffman to hold the Bears to only 14 points after three periods.

Offensively, with their two big men in foul trouble, the Hawks relied on guard play to get it done, and Thornton was red hot in the second half. Hoffman Estates held the Bears without a field goal for nearly seven minutes in the third quarter, allowing the Hawks to build on their halftime advantage.

"We really defended tonight in a way we envisioned to start the season," Yanule said. "We have a lot of guards and our bigs aren't the bulkiest - but they are quick."

The disruptive play of the Hawks guards allowed only one Lake Zurich player to reach double figures. Nick Meyer drained three longballs and finished with 11 points.

Nick Penny, who joined Meyer on the all-tournament team, was limited to just 8 points before fouling out. Brandon Hall earned all-tournament honors for the Hawks. He finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds.

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