Hawk numbers dwindle, team turns to control game
Faced with thinning numbers due to suspensions, the Iowa Park Hawk basketball team initiated a slow down offense during last weekend’s Iowa Park/City View Basketball Tournament.

Coach Tim Clark’s Hawks won three games using the controlled style of play, with a 39-30 opening win against state-ranked Archer City, a 30-24 win over a talented Childress squad Friday, and a 38-23 win over Breckenridge Saturday.

The only loss in the tournament was to Holliday, 63-47, with the Hawks engaged in a normal style of play.

Though they initiated the slow down offense in the second half of the win over Archer City, Clark actually initiated a complete slow down game as a humorous tribute to Childress Coach Brent Gaylor.

“He (Gaylor) played at Graham when they made it to the state championship game,” said Clark of the Childress coach. “We did that (slow down game) to him in Graham his senior year.

“It was just kind of a joke when I brought out,” continued Clark. “But it actually worked pretty good. We won the game. The kids liked it, bought into it, and want to do it some more.”

The controlled slow down game may prove to be a necessity for the Hawks, which lost two players for the season due to suspensions, leaving them with eight on the roster.

“It gives us a chance to win,” said Clark.

“It keeps us out of foul trouble. It keeps us from getting tired in games when they are running 15 or so players at us. Plus, it makes the other team tired because they are having to chase the ball all the time.

“It comes down to, if we will be disciplined, and make our free throws, we are going to have a chance to win.”

In the opener against Archer City Thursday, Iowa Park led 13-10 after the first period, and outscored the Wildcats 12-6 in the second for a 25-16 lead at intermission.

Clark initiated the first “slow down” offense in the second half, with the Hawks outscoring Archer City 9-5 in the third frame, and the Wildcats outscoring the Hawks 9-5 in the final frame .

Iowa Park went 13-for-21 at the free throw line. Reid Hayley led in scoring with 12 points, while Richard Smoak added eight, Jesse Harris six, and Kris Tucker four.

In the second game Thursday against Holliday, the Hawks led 9-8 after the opening period, but the Eagles coutscored Iowa Park in the next two frames 22-10 and 19-11 to build a comfortable lead, eventually winning 63-47.

The Hawks, 14-for-20 at the charity line in the game, were led by Lee Clubb’s 16 points, while Hayley contributed 12, and Cody Harper six.

A full-fledge slow down game Friday against Childress ... plus a 14-for-19 effort at the free throw line ... contributed in Iowa Park’s 30-24 win.

The Hawks led 3-2 after the first period, but a 9-6 scoring advantage by the Bobcats in the second period gave Childress the two-point lead at intermission.

Iowa Park outscored the visitors 6-3 in the third, and 15-10 in the final period for the 30-24 win.

Smoak led with eight points, while Harris and Harper added six points each.

“They (Childress) are a really good 2A team,” said Clark. “They have a big guy (6-6, 240) in the middle we would have had a hard time controlling if it had been a regular game.

“With this (the slow down), we could take him completely out of the game,” continued Clark. “He wasn’t effective. He stood in the paint and he wouldn’t chase.

“It gave us a chance to win.”

Iowa Park continued the slow down offense in a 38-23 win Saturday over Breckenridge.

The Hawks made six-of-seven attempts at the charity line in the win, with Smoak leading all scorers with 13 points. Hayley added eight, and Harris six.

Tuesday night at City View, the Hawks had two shots at the end of the contest to win, but came up short in a 32-31 win by the host Eagles.

A six-of-15 effort at the charity line contributed in the loss, said Clark.

“When you make six of 15 free throws ... the important part of this ... you aren’t going to win close games,” he noted. “We make our free throws, we’ll win. We have gotten better, though.”

Chase Lawson scored 10 to lead Iowa Park, while Smoak added nine.

One negative aspect of a slow down game, said Clark, is that both the opponents and their fans can get frustrated.

“We were getting booed by the visiting fans (at the tournament), and the fans were booing us at City View,” said Clark. “But that’s ok. The kids were kind of liking it.”

The Hawks will host Holliday tomorrow night at 6:30, then host Gainesville Monday at 6 p.m. before taking a two-week break, returning to action Jan. 2 at Childress.

Non-conference games remain with City View (Jan. 6) and Sanger (Jan. 9) before the Jan. 16 District 5-3A opener at home against the state’s second-ranked Burkburnett Bulldogs.