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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
AUBURNDALE – Austin Hawkins scored 14 points, passing the 1,000-point mark in his career, and the Auburndale boys basketball cruised past Pittsville 55-33 on Tuesday night at Auburndale High School.
Auburndale remains unbeaten at 6-0, 5-0 in the Marawood Conference South Division. Pittsville falls to 4-3 and 3-2 in the South.
Hawkins, who entered the game with 999 career points, scored seven of his points in a key second-quarter run.
A 3-pointer by Isaac Castellano at the first-quarter buzzer gave Auburndale its first lead at 11-10 and from there the Apaches took control
Hawkins scored four points in a 13-0 run that bridged the last 1:05 of the first and first 2:46 of the second quarter that pushed Auburndale ahead 19-10. Pittsville never got closer than seven the rest of the game.
“It was ball movement, definitely ball movement,” Hawkins said. “When we’re not putting points up on the board it’s because we’re stagnant and not moving the basketball. We get guys out of position when we move the ball with quick, snapping passes – we get some easy shots that way.”
Auburndale outscored Pittsville 18-8 overall in the second quarter and used another 7-0 run in the third, keyed by Blake Anderson’s five points, to go up 39-20. The 33-10 advantage over that 15-minute stretch was a result of the Apaches’ pressure defense that gave Pittsville no easy shots.
“I really challenged the kids the last two days in practice to step up our game,” Auburndale coach Chad Weinfurter said. “Offense isn’t always going to be there. I thought they did a great job. You’ve always got a few little things in your scouting report and I think the kids followed it to a tee.”
For Hawkins, the 1,000-point milestone is a sense of pride for him.
“It comes down to a lot of hard work, a lot of hours spent not only during the season but in the offseason,” Hawkins said. “Working long hours in the weight room, putting up shots, strength and conditioning, and all kinds of things. It really means a lot to me to reach a milestone like this and my hard work kind of portays itself.”
Weinfurter said he was very happy for Hawkins.
“He’s a great kid to be around,” Weinfurter said. “He’s not a prima donna, he’s coachable, he’s a great teammate, his teammates love him. It’s really been a pleasure coaching him.”
Auburndale is back in action Friday at Marathon. Both teams stand 5-0 in the Marawood South.
Apaches 55, Panthers 33
Pittsville 10 8 4 11 – 33
Auburndale 11 17 12 14 – 55
PITTSVILLE (33): Jacob Schulz 0-1 0-0 0, Sawyer Ladick 1-8 0-1 3, Austin John 0-2 2-2 2, Gabe Hautala 2-4 0-0 4, Brad Wesely 3-8 1-2 8, Trail Pierce 6-13 0-0 12, Kyle Kolar 2-2 0-0 4. FG: 14-38. FT: 3-5. 3-pointers: 2-8 (Ladick 1-4, Wesely 1-3, John 0-1). Rebounds: 22 (Ladick 7, Pierce 5). Turnovers: 15. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: none. Record: 5-4, 3-2 Marawood South.
AUBURNDALE (55): Jake Lewis 0-0 0-0 0, Tom Sabel 1-4 0-0 2, Matt Nikolay 2-4 0-0 5, Blake Anderson 6-10 1-4 14, Isaac Castellano 1-3 1-2 4, Zach Staats 1-4 3-4 5, Matt Lang 0-0 0-0, Austin Hawkins 5-9 4-6 14, Ben Bolder 4-12 1-1 9, Josh VanShoick 0-0 2-2 2. FG: 20-46. FT: 12-19. 3-pointers: 3-10 (Nikolay 1-2, Anderson 1-3, Castellano 1-3, Staats 0-1, Sabel 0-1). Rebounds: 20 (Anderson 9). Turnovers: 4. Fouls: 11. Fouled out: none. Record: 6-0, 5-0 Marawood South.