Hewlett continues hot streak

Posted Wednesday, February 1, 2012 8:00 am

Hewlett's Weldon Irvine, who scored 21 points, rips down one of his 10 rebounds in last Friday's Conference A-II win at Sewanhaka.

Kathy Leistner/Herald

Andrew McClure

Weldon Irvine scored a game-high had 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Hewlett to a 65-41 victory over Sewanhaka last Friday in Conference A-II boys’ basketball action.

Sophomore forward Avery Feldman chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (8-3 overall, 5-1 in conference A-II), who have won five of their past six games. Irvine is averaging 15.8 points per game in conference games.

Hewlett coach Bill Dubin liked to see his team get the ball inside to the big men. “We only hit one three-pointer, and that’s a good thing,” Dubin said. “We’re a better basketball team when we’re getting the ball inside to Weldon and Avery, and not settling for shots from the perimeter. We’re still developing. Hopefully, we’ll be where we want to be when the playoffs start.”

As has been too often the case this season, Hewlett got off to a slow start in the opening quarter. The Indians, who have had trouble putting the ball in the basket all season long, trailed only 17-15 after one quarter thanks to strong shooting from Matt Lugo and Jabryl Chin. But the Bulldogs picked up the intensity on the defensive end and limited Sewanhaka’s scoring opportunities for much of the next three quarters.

Irvine was a handful for the Indians in the paint. When he wasn’t finishing, he was getting to the free throw line. The junior forward scored nine of his 21 points from the line, as Hewlett outscored Sewanhaka 37-18 in the second half. Senior Dylan Sasson added eight points and seven rebounds. Sewanhaka fell to 2-4 in conference play.

After suffering their only conference loss to first-place Lawrence, Hewlett has won three straight. In a one-sided contest, the Bulldogs got 19 points from Feldman as Hewlett knocked off visiting Plainedge, 72-42. Feldman scored 15 in the opening half as the Bulldogs ran out to a 34-19 lead at the half.

Hewlett stayed in the win column with a 66-50 win over a pesky Division five. After falling behind 16-10 in the opening quarter, the Bulldogs broke things open thanks to a 16-point effort from senior guard Harrison Brenner. Feldman also scored 16, while Sasson scored 13 points and pulled down 11 boards.