Hamilton Heights started its own Hawks Havoc basketball round robin at Chattanooga State on Friday with a 56-48 victory over The Rock.
The Hawks placed four players in double figures with Ezekiel Balogun and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each leading the way with 12 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Abdulhakim Ado each scoring 10 points.
Balogun added five blocks and two steals; Gilgeouis-Alexander also had five rebounds, five steals and three assists; Alexander-Walker tossed in seven assists, three rebounds and two blocks to his double-digit scoring.
That balanced scoring help overcome the Hawks’ cold-as-ice 0-for-7 3-point shooting.
Alexander-Walker and Shelton-Szmidt combined to go 0-for-13 from long distance. Those same two players combined to shoot 3-for-25 from the floor.
Ado, the highly-touted 6-foot-9-inch post with a wing span of a 747, grabbed 17 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive boards. He added two blocks.
Central Park (Birmingham) played Wesley Christian (Kentucky) in the other opening-night game.
On Saturday, The Rock takes on Central Park at 2 p.m. and the Hawks are scheduled to play Wesley Christian at 3:30 p.m.
Boxscore
The Rock 26 0 13 9 – 48
Hamilton Heights 27 0 7 22 -- 56
The Rock (48) – Bamba Ndiaye, Rombley 8, Edwards 3, Ash, Jamari Wheeler 19, Hansen 3, Woods 2, Darius Days 10, Charlton 3, Greenlee, Kabala.
Hamilton Heights (56) – Abubakar, Abdulhakim Ado 10, Pitts, Chiriac, Shelton-Szmidt 4, Nickeil Alexander-Walker 10, Massengill, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 12, Ezekiel Balogun 12, Adheke 8.
3-Point Goals – The Rock 5 (Wheeler 2, Hansen 1, Days 1, Charlton 1), Hamilton Heights (None).
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)