NIXA, Mo. -- Hogan Prep rebounded from Thursday night's loss to the Willard Tigers with a nice rebound victory in the first consolation game Friday night at the Nixa Invitational, as the Rams beat up on St. Joseph Lafayette 55-33.
Jonathan Hawkins led the Rams to the win as he scored 14 points on the night and kept the Lafayette defense off balance. The Lafayette Fighting Irish struggled from the field for the second consecutive game, as the Irish failed to top 40 points yet again Friday.
The game appeared to be a tighter contest in the first quarter, as Hogan Prep (the high school of current MU star Marcus Denmon) led Lafayette by one point as the Rams clung to a 14-13 lead. The Hogan Prep defense raised the bar in the second quarter however, as their tenacious defense held Lafayette to just two points (Hogan outscored LHS 12-2) and the Rams went into halftime with a somewhat commanding 26-15 lead.
Maurice Mason helped to lead the Hogan Prep charge in the third quarter, as he combined with Broderick Newbill to give the Rams several potent offensive threats in addition to guard Jonathan Hawkins.
Hogan Prep outscored Lafayette 16-9 in the third quarter and coasted into the last eight minutes with a 42-24 lead over the offensively challenged Fighting Irish. Hogan continued their dominance in the fourth quarter and the Rams starters sat for the last several minutes as the Kansas City school coasted to the 55-33 victory.
Jonathan Hawkins scored 14 points to lead the Rams, while Maurice Mason added 13 and Broderick Newbill scored 16. For Lafayette, the Irish were led by Jeff Leeson who scored 15 points and was the only player in double figures.
Hogan Prep will play in the consolation final Saturday at 3:30 p.m., while Lafayette will play in the seventh place game at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.
