Published Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:04 AM
Updated Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:05 AM

 

Hanahan teams 1-1 after first week of region play

Junior forward Jaron Denmark scored 10 points to lead a balanced scoring effort and the Hanahan boys team clamped down on defense en route to a 48-37 victory over Waccamaw Friday night.

The win salvaged a split in the opening week of Region 7-AA play and helped the Hawks shake off the sting of a region-opening loss to Timberland on Tuesday.

“We were happy to get our first region win of the year,” Hanahan coach Chris Pope said. “We played an all-around game. We held them to 15 points in the first half. We limited second-chance points and hit the boards hard.”

Denmark hit his first two shots of the game and the Hawks built a 15-9 lead after a quarter.  Point guard Irim Aiken and center Michael Hurwitz scored nine points apiece. Guard Michael Forrester chipped in eight points.

“Everyone had a decent night offensively,” Pope said. “We didn’t force too many shots. We let the game come to us.”

Hanahan (5-9, 1-1 region) was to travel to Manning Tuesday and Andrews Friday.

“We have to take our best defensive and offensive efforts on the road,” Pope said.

Andrews (12-4, 2-0 region) is led by guard Cory Rush, who just dropped in 40 points on Kingstree in a 90-88 win for the Yellow Jackets Friday.

Two wins would vault Hanahan into the upper echelon in the region but two losses could be damaging to its playoff hopes down the road.

“They’re all important now,” Pope said. “There is not one team that is an easy win.”

Hanahan’s girls team is also 1-1 in the region, also beating Waccamaw Friday after losing to Timberland.