Hampshire rolls over North Boone

Hampshire worked its inside-outside game to near perfection Tuesday.

Pat Azizi, with 19 points, took care of the outside part, while Tyler Watzlawick, with 18 points and 13 rebounds, handled the inside duties. Together, they led the Whip-Purs in a 74-38 romp over North Boone in Big Northern East boys basketball action in Poplar Grove.

Tyler Crater added 12 points, Shane Hernandez had 9 points and 6 boards, and Chris West added 6 points off the bench for Hampshire (11-4, 4-0).

North Boone didn't play nearly as badly as the score indicated, but the Vikings couldn't buy a bucket. And when big man Tim Huber got in early foul trouble, Watzlawick was able to run rampant in the paint.

“We stuck to our game plan and we executed it,” said Hampshire coach Bob Barnett, whose team invades rival Burlington Central's gym on Saturday.

“That's our inside-out, high-low stuff. Our assistant coach has been watching Kansas tapes for 2 years waiting for this group, and we put it in over the summer.”

Hampshire broke open a close game with an 11-2 run beginning with the last basket of the first quarter and covering most of the second.

The Whips put the game completely out of reach with an 11-0 burst in the third period. Azizi had 11 points and Watzlawick 8 in the period.

Azizi nailed five 3-pointers, while Watzlawick scored down low and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. The Whips were 16-for-19 from the line.

Watzlawick also led the way as the Whip-Purs held a 35-18 rebounding advantage.

Kyle Koepp led North Boone with 9 points, but the Vikings couldn't sustain anything offensively. They shot just 26 percent in the first half while falling behind by 14 points.