Hinckley trips up Westminster Christian

For the first few minutes of Friday's regional championship game, Westminster Christian was able to take care of the ball.

The Warriors led Hinckley-Big Rock 8-7 with 3 minutes, 31 seconds left in the first eight minutes of the Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock regional final.

Then the quick Royals' guards began to pick the ball off and Warriors' turnovers became quick Royals' points. Hinckley-Big Rock led 20-11 by the end of the first period before winning its own regional championship 66-38.

"The first couple of minutes, we weren't getting (turnovers) and we weren't in a rhythm either," said Royals' guard Jared Madden, who finished with 13 points, 4 steals and 4 assists. "The whole team is really quick. We see the passing lanes."

After leading 8-7, Westminster turned the ball over 4 times in its next 5 possessions and Hinckley-Big Rock was up 17-8 with 1:11 left in the first quarter. Westminster, which finished the season 17-13, continued to struggle with its ball control in the second quarter.

The Warriors gave up the ball 8 times, with Madden getting 2 assists and a basket to extend the Royals' lead to 33-13. Hinckley-Big Rock (19-8) was 6-for-8 from the floor, while Westminster missed all 4 of its shot attempts. The Warriors went 9 minutes, 6 seconds without hitting a field goal before Josh Beachler connected on a basket to open the second half.

"They trap you like crazy," Warriors' coach Bruce Firchau said. "It's hard to get in your offensive flow. They were relentless. They will pressure you in a man-to-man. They will pressure you in a zone. They were running to the passing lanes."

The Royals outscored Westminster 29-4 in points off turnovers. The Warriors did give the ball up just 3 times in the third quarter and found some offensive stability.

Will Woodhouse scored 5 of his game-high 17 points in the third period. He finished the game going 6-for-11 from the floor, including connecting on 3 3-pointers.

Center Zack Michels led the Royals with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Hinckley-Big Rock held a 23-13 advantage on the boards, with a 12-6 edge on the offensive glass.

Westminster, which graduated 4 of its 5 starters from last season, loses just Beachler from this year's squad. Woodhouse and Colin Brandon (8 points) are both juniors. The Warriors also have Robert Kleczynski (4 points) returning after a solid freshman campaign.

"We got a lot of mileage out of the Beachler family," Firchau said. "We're young. A year from now, I'd like to be where Hinckley is now."