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Bartlett's depth shines at Elgin

Defeating Elgin by 43 points, 82-39, on Dec. 13 in Upstate Conference play in Bartlett, you might think the Hawks wouldn't come ready to play in Elgin Friday night.

That was not the case.

Playing without starter Martin McCarthy, the Hawks jumped out to a 12-4 lead and never looked back.

Behind 15 points from Kelton McEwen and 14 by Keegan Kunzer, the Hawks blitzed the Maroons 65-35.

"It was a business trip and we took care of business," said Kunzer. "We miss Martin but everybody stepped up."

Propelled by 5 points from Kunzer including a trey and 3-pointers from Shubh Mangrola and William Poulopoulos the Hawks led by 8 with 3:42 left in the first quarter.

McEwen's driving layup gave the Hawks (16-8, 9-4) a 23-8 lead with 2:46 remaining before half.

An outstanding effort by Elgin's (9-15, 2-11) Maddox Hollian kept the Maroons within striking distance.

Maddox scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting including a pair of 3s. He scored 14 of the Maroons' 18 points as Bartlett led 31-18 at half.

"Maddox made some really tough shots," said Elgin coach Brett Johnson. "He really kept us in the game."

The Maroons got to within 31-21 on a conventional 3 by Hallion to start the second half.

He connected on a layup, was fouled and converted the free throw to complete the 3-point play.

Elgin couldn't get any closer as Bartlett went on a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 38-21.

Poulopoulos and Kunzer connected on shots from beyond the arc as the Hawks seized control of the game.

McEwen buried a 30-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Hawks grabbed a 46-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

"We were ready to play," said McEwen. "Elgin is a lot better than the first time we played them."

Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith likes the way his team has played through some injuries.

"We are scrambling right now," said Wolfsmith. "We have a lot of depth. We played well to start the game. Elgin is a much better team than when we play them the first time."

Hallion scored 22 of the Maroons' 35 points.

"We are taking baby steps," said Johnson. "The kids are playing with more intensity and starting to believe in the system. They are playing hard. It is a long process."

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