by Ryan Mosher
Playing two games against each other in less than a week’s time can sometimes be a problem for teams. It wasn’t this week as the Berlin boys basketball team took on Hawthorne twice in a four day span. The first game was close most of the way before the Mountaineers broke away in the end for a 75-64 victory. On Berlin’s court last Friday night, it would not be as close.
Berlin took charge in the first quarter, playing a fast paced game, and hit nine of their fourteen shots. Senior Chris Zema led the way with 8 points in the quarter. Hawthorne held on, though, scoring 17 points of their own with the help of two big three-pointers. In the second quarter, Berlin’s offensive onslaught continued as they scored twenty points again. Zema had 9 in the second while Brent Demick added 6 points. The Wildcats put up 15 points, but now, with a 40-32 lead, Berlin was confident.
In the beginning of the third quarter, the Mountaineers started off ice cold, missing their first four shots before connecting on 9 of their next 11 shots. The lead, with 1:35 remaining, was stretched to twenty points at 56-36. At the end of the quarter Berlin led 59-42.
In the fourth quarter, the Berlin reserves got some quality minutes. Junior Shawn Willis and Senior Brad Deyo each scored 7 points in the quarter, helping Berlin pull away to the 75-57 lead. Zema led the team in the victory with 24 points and 4 assists. Demick added 12 points and 8 rebounds.