GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Hamilton Heights rallied from an early 22-9 deficit, but couldn’t hold on at the end in a 70-61 loss to Elevate on Saturday in the seventh Gatortown Hoops Classic hosted by The Rock School.
The Hawks (32-4) gained the lead in the fourth quarter only to see the opponent regain the upper hand in the final two minutes of play. Hamilton Heights had two critical turnovers in the final 30 seconds and was forced to foul, enabling Elevate to stretch the final margin.
Ezekiel Balogun led the Hawks with 18 points, Aleksa Jugovic had 17 – and three of the team’s five 3s – and Joan Duran finished with 14.
Reggie Reid scored a game-high 21 points for Elevate (16-8) while D.J. Clayton and Keandre Dew each had 15 and Stas Tatsley added 10.
Hamilton Heights lost to Potter's House 67-56 on Friday.
The Hawks are off until Feb. 21 when they take on nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., to close out the regular season.
SUMMARY
Hamilton Heights 9 21 16 15 – 61
Elevate 22 12 16 20 – 70
Hamilton Heights (61) – Roknic, Joan Duran 14, Nauseda 8, Vaitkus, Aleksa Jugovic 17, Ezekiel Balogun 18, Adheke, Ado 4.
Elevate (70) – Reggie Reid 21, Shantaley 2, D.J. Clayton 15, Shields 4, Keandre Dew 15, Kulhair, Fuller 5, Mararoros, Stas Tatsley 10.
Three-Point Goals – Hamilton Heights 5, Jugovic 3, Nauseda 1, Duran 1), Elevate 4 (Clayton 3, Reid 1).
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com)