Kolton Garner never let up.
Garner totaled 31 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and a block to lead the Hallsville Indians to a 64-49 win Friday night against the Capital City Cavaliers at Capital City High School.
Garner and the Indians got to work early taking a 7-2 lead after he scored four consecutive points on putbacks. Garner alone accounted for four offensive boards leading to eight second-chance points with most coming in the first quarter.
Colby Gates broke a 4-0 Hallsville run with a left-wing 3-pointer off a John Hightower assist to cut the lead to 7-5, then the teams went back and forth until Gates nailed a 3 from the right corner off one of Nehemiah Hamilton’s game-high six assists with 10 seconds left to cut Hallsville’s lead to 16-13 after one quarter.
“We got out toughed, we got out worked,” Capital City coach Darrin Young said. “Hallsville’s best player (Garner) was also their most enthusiastic leader. We’re still struggling to find that.”
Hamilton assisted Darrick Pritchett to cut the lead to a point early in the second, but Hallsville scored 10 of the next 12 points to build a 26-17 lead with 3:36 left in the first half.
Aman Kesete hit one of his three 3s to cut the lead to 26-20, then Gates and Kesete combined for eight points in the final two minutes to bring the Cavaliers within 30-28 with 25 seconds left. But Garner wouldn’t let the Indians go quietly into halftime. He scored Hallsville’s final six points of the half, including a buzzer-beating jumper from the left wing, giving him a first-half double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds and sending the Indians into halftime leading 32-28.
“He played like a senior leader,” Young said. “We got out-led tonight. We got out-led, we got out-toughed.”
The Cavaliers opened the third quarter by cutting the lead to 32-30 when Kesete assisted Hamilton for a baseline driving layup, but the Indians scored the next nine points to build a 41-30 lead with 5:10 left in the third.
Capital City fought back with a 7-0 run of its own with two Hamilton free throws, one of Gates’ five 3s and a putback layup from Phillip Richardson, but once again Hallsville finished the quarter on a 11-5 run to extend to a 52-42 lead going into the final eight minutes.
“We’re working through the trials and tribulations of what leadership looks like, what consistency looks like,” Young said. “You’ve got to tip your hat to Hallsville. They played extremely hard.”
Capital City cut the lead as close as seven at 56-49 with 4:53 left after Hamilton went around a Shaun Adams screen for a layup, but Hallsville held the Cavaliers scoreless the rest of the way, using an 8-0 run to create the final margin.
Gates led Capital City with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting overall and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, while Hamilton had 11 points, six assists and three rebounds. Kesete added 11 points for the Cavalier offense.
Isaac Stinson joined Garner in double figures for Hallsville with 12 points to complement five rebounds.
After a week off, Capital City (7-14) will try to rebound when it hosts Lutheran: St. Charles at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.
Hallsville (15-4) plays Webster Groves at 8:30 p.m. at Harrisburg in the Mid-Missouri Invitational.