JEROMESVILLE — It may be a little premature to call it a full-blown revival, but Hillsdale can no longer be overlooked in the Wayne County Athletic League.
Braylen Jarvis, Brady Krichbaum and Troy Bennett combined for 52 points as the Falcons pulled away in the second half for a 77-56 victory over WCAL rival Northwestern inside Dickerson Gymnasium on Friday.
The win snapped an ugly 14-game losing streak to the Huskies in which Northwestern’s average margin of victory was 24.5 points. Only one of those 14 games was decided by less than 10 points.
Hillsdale’s last win in the series before Friday came on Jan. 15, 2016 — a fact not lost on first-year coach Ben Ferguson.
“We were very aware of it,” said Ferguson, who has piloted the Falcons (7-2, 4-2) to their best start since the 2015-16 season. “It’s been a while since we’ve beaten them, but it was about more than just snapping (the skid). We wanted to protect our home floor against a team that is a league contender.
“The way we see it, (Division II state-ranked) Norwayne is the favorite and everyone else will be fighting it out behind them. We knew we couldn’t afford to lose another league game if we want to be in contention at the end of the season.”
The high-scoring trio of Jarvis, Krichbaum and Bennett nearly outscored the Huskies (4-7, 2-4) by themselves. Bennett led the way with 18 points, while Jarvis and Krichbaum each had 17.
A 6-foot-6 junior center, Krichbaum did most of his damage in the first half. He scored 11 points and grabbed 12 of his game-high 16 rebounds before intermission.
Jarvis, a physical 6-foot-1 senior swingman, and Bennett, a 6-foot sophomore sharpshooter, shouldered most of the offensive load in the second half. Jarvis scored 14 of his 17 after the break while Bennett added a dozen.
Hillsdale outscored Northwestern 43-24 in the second half.
“We weren’t finishing well in the first half and we felt like it was closer than it should have been,” said Jarvis, who also swiped 10 boards. “In the third quarter we focused on getting downhill and making free throws. We felt if we could build a lead it would be hard for them to come back.”
Northwestern trailed 42-39 after a Jacob Ward mid-range jumper with 4:09 to play in the third, but the Falcons closed the quarter on a 15-5 run. Bennett and Jarvis both connected on 3-pointers during the stretch, while Jarvis and Krichbaum both scored on putbacks after grabbing offensive rebounds.
Hillsdale dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Huskies 43-22. The Falcons swiped 14 offensive boards.
Owen Ferriman and Jacoby Gilbert paced the Huskies with 11 points apiece. Ward and Wahied Fasihi each had seven.
Hillsdale’s win over Northwestern came three days after the Falcons knocked off Smithville 73-71 on the road Tuesday. Hillsdale had lost 14 straight to the Smithies, too.
“We’re playing with a lot more energy and a lot more urgency than we did the last couple of years,” Jarvis said of the turn-around. “Our defensive presence is much better than it has been in the past because we’re playing with effort and passion.”
