Loving leads Hillcrest past TF North

By Matthew Bruce
YourSeason.com

T.F. North scored the first bucket of the game. Hillcrest took over from there.Jalen Loving totaled 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the No. 21 Hawks, who never were threatened and cruised to a 74-41 blowout Friday night in the South Suburban Blue crossover in Country Club Hills.Jovan Mooring started the dominance for Hillcrest, which has won eight of its past nine games. The 6-foot-1 junior guard sparked a 15-0 run when he knocked down a three-pointerwhile falling downfrom 23 feet out midway through the first quarter. Two possessions later, Mooring brought the ball up the court and swished one from a foot deeper to give the Hawks (17-4, 9-0) a 12-2 lead.Point guard Kyle Oden followed suit, knocking down a pair of treys. By the end of the frame Hillcrest led 23-9. Oden netted another three-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give the Hawks a 36-12 lead at the break. Mooring and Oden both finished with three treys.T.F. North, which had 25 turnovers, could not figure out the Hawks halfcourt trap. T.F. North scored just three points in the second quarter.I keep saying this: Im excited about the way we play defense. We just need to make sure we execute on offense, Hillcrest coach Don Houston said. Overall, Im pretty happy with the effort.Loving was a killer down low for Hillcrest, connecting on 11 of 14 shots from the field. Nicholas Wood was the lone T.F. North player to finish in double figures, scoring 10 points. Loving, Mooring (14 points) and Oden (13) combined for 52 of the Hawks points.Any given night, any of the starting five can give us a whole lot, Houston said. If one person isnt having the greatest game, someone else can come in and give us a good game. So Im not surprised when any one of those guys step up.