Hardaway boys hold off Stewart County in Columbus Classic Shootout

The Hardaway Hawks had plenty of production from the entire team in the Columbus Classic Shootout Tuesday.

Hardaway head coach Kendall Mills explained he toyed with different combinations in the Hawks’ 66-53 victory over Stewart County, and it showed in the stat line. Six Hardaway players notched at least five points in the victory. Jakhari Thomas led the way with 13 points and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

“It’s just exciting to watch them play,” Mills said. “We put some things in this morning in our shootaround. I was pleased with our effort.”

Hardaway (2-1) and Stewart County (1-1) hung right with each other for the majority of the contest. As the minutes ticked by into the fourth quarter, Stewart County took advantage of a few Hardaway mistakes and eventually made it only a two-possession game.

From there, Mills leaned on veterans like Thomas and Tahiem Mabery, who finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds. The Hawks clamped down in the final minutes of play to secure the victory.

While the holiday season gives coaches like Mills a chance to experiment with the lineup, he knew the right call was getting the ball to the team’s proven players in crunch time.

“You have to go with your gut instincts and who you trust the most,” Mills said. “Those guys with experience were able to come through for us.”

Mills said he was proud of his team’s effort Tuesday in a game that remained in question until about midway through the fourth quarter. He said his biggest focus for his team going forward is getting tougher, particularly when fighting for rebounds. Mills also wants to see the Hawks cut down on turnovers, which left Stewart County with an opportunity it could not take advantage of.

“We’re looking to just get better each and every day,” Mills said. “There’s still some things we need to work on, but hopefully we’ll just keep improving this season.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2017 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Hardaway boys hold off Stewart County in Columbus Classic Shootout."