WARDSVILLE - The Blair Oaks Falcons dug themselves a deep hole, and then nearly climbed out of it.
Despite bouncing back from an 18-point deficit early in the second quarter, Blair Oaks couldn't quite recover from Hickman's strong start. The Kewpies were able to hang on and make free throws down the stretch Thursday night for a 64-55 win against the Falcons.
Hickman outscored Blair Oaks 24-12 in the first quarter and shot 4-of-10 from 3-point range in the first eight minutes to build its early lead.
"The way we started the game, we were back on our heels," Blair Oaks coach Ryan Fick said. "It's hard to simulate their quickness in practice. I think it took a little bit for us to adjust to what they were doing offensively, and the speed that they were making their cuts to the basket."
Isaiah Irwin and Chase Thomas combined to knock down three consecutive 3-pointers for the Kewpies during the final two minutes of the opening quarter, stretching a 5-point edge to a 24-10 lead.
Hickman then scored the first six points of the second quarter to extend its lead to 30-12 with 6:39 left in the first half.
Thomas keyed Hickman's offense in the early going, scoring 14 of his team-high 20 points before halftime.
"He went to the basket a couple of times early and scored," Fick said of Thomas. "We gave him a couple of steps and then he knocked down jump shots, which made it a little more difficult for us to guard him."
Rather than making one big run to close the gap, the Falcons used a series of mini-runs to cut into Hickman's lead. The first was an 8-0 run midway through the second quarter, which trimmed the deficit to 30-20 with 4:31 to play before halftime.
"When we were in the middle of that run, we had some guys come off the bench and give us some energy," Fick said.
Blair Oaks added a late 7-0 run before half to keep within reach of Hickman, which took a 40-30 lead at the break.
The Falcons had one last run, scoring the final seven points of the third quarter. Jason Rackers took a pass from Dylan Skinner and scored an easy basket to cut Hickman's lead to 51-45 at the end of the quarter.
Blair Oaks also drew a pair of charges late in the quarter to stop Hickman's response.
"Stepping up and taking a charge is such a momentum play," Fick said. "Those plays get the crowd involved, our student section got involved and guys just feed off that."
Rackers scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to bring Blair Oaks within four of the lead. The Falcons had multiple chances to make it a one-possession ballgame, but they shot just 2-of-11 from the field in the fourth quarter.
"We had several empty possessions where we didn't even get a shot," Fick said of his team's play in the final quarter.
Rackers finished with a game-high 21 points. Skinner added 14 points and had a team-high eight rebounds.
Hickman's Thomas Dutton posted a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, and the 6-foot-7 senior also had three monster dunks.
Hickman is one of two Class 5 opponents on Blair Oaks' schedule. Despite the loss, Fick said Thursday's game will make his team better in the long run.
"The reason you schedule a game like this is to prepare you for district time," Fick said. "We've got a great district. If you look at the records of teams in our district right now, up and down the line, you've got teams having great seasons.
"It'll make us better in the long run and it'll magnify some things that we need to work on."
Blair Oaks (11-2) will play next in the St. James Tournament. The Falcons, the No. 2 seed, will face Salem at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the first round.
In the JV game, Hickman won 38-35 to hand Blair Oaks its first loss of the season.
Eric Northweather led Blair Oaks (8-1) with 10 points.
Notes: Saturday's varsity and JV boys basketball games between Blair Oaks and Willard have been postponed due to the anticipated winter storm. The games have been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 11, at Wardsville, with the doubleheader start time set for 2 p.m.