The visiting Thunderhawks used an 11-0 run to extend a respectable halftime lead into a 20-point cushion and cruised to a 52-26 win in front of a packed house at West.
The Firebirds lead the series 19-16 but East has now won six of the last seven, including another decisive victory Dec. 9 in the first matchup of the season.
“It feels fantastic,” East senior Evan Kuhlman said. “Last time playing these guys senior year, it feels great. It’s always a tough game, tooth-and-nail, but today we played hard, we fought hard. We deserved that win.”
East (10-4 overall, 6-2 in the Greater Miami Conference) broke away in the second half but had established control right away as West (4-9, 2-6) struggled with 13 turnovers, made just four field goals and went 4 of 8 from the free-throw line in the first half.
The Hawks held West off the board for eight minutes between the Firebirds’ first and second baskets, and they went on a 12-0 run during that stretch to build a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Kuhlman, bouncing back quickly from a disappointing three-point effort in a win against Wilmington on Tuesday, accounted for 10 of those points for the Hawks and had 13 of his game-high 21 points by halftime as East carried a 23-14 advantage to the locker room.
“I just needed to loosen up,” Kuhlman said. “I was playing a little tight (against Wilmington), but all the credit goes to my teammates in that first stretch. They were getting me open, setting great screens, and we just got off to a hot start.”
West reverted back to its first-quarter struggles and went more than five minutes without a point in the third quarter as East put together a string of 11 straight points to make it 34-14 at the midway point of the period. Malachi Hughes made one of his two free throws to finally end the Firebirds’ drought and added a putback a while later, but that was all West would get until the final stanza.
By then, West was in too deep a hole to climb back.
“That was the difference in the game,” East coach Clint Adkins said of the hot start to the second half. “We came out and were a lot more aggressive, took care of the basketball, and that’s when we really pushed our lead.”
Jarett Cox (14 points) and Jackson See (10 points) joined Kuhlman in double figures for East, which finished with 10 assists, and West was led by Frank Schmitt’s eight points.
The Firebirds finished with just six field goals for the game.
“We struggled offensively,” West coach Matt Rooks said. “We struggle offensively anyway, but I thought the turnovers in the first half got them going. It was kind of going the way we wanted it (the first few minutes), and then it went from 4-3 to 13-4 and that kind of changed the game. The second half their two guys stepped up and took over the game, and once we get down in that hole, we struggle to come back.”
The Firebirds will travel to Sycamore on Tuesday, while the Thunderhawks host Oak Hills.
Lakota East 11-12-17-12—52
Lakota West 3-11-3-9—26
LAKOTA EAST (10-4, 6-2 GMC): Jalen Peck 1 0 2, Jackson See 3 4 10, Evan Kuhlman 7 3 21, Kyrell Metts 1 0 2, Jarett Cox 5 4 14, Kolbe Fuhrmann 1 0 2, Corie Blount 0 1 1. Totals: 18-12-52
LAKOTA WEST (4-9, 2-6 GMC): Will Nguyen 1 1 4, Frank Schmitt 1 6 8, Payton Porterfield 1 1 3, Spencer Farthing 0 2 2, Bash Wieland 1 1 4, Malachi Hughes 1 1 3, Jared McCorkle 1 0 2. Totals: 6-12-26
3-pointers: LE 4 (Kuhlman 4), LW 2 (Nguyen, Wieland)
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