Hickey sets Mapleton scoring record, but Hillsdale tops Mounties

NANKIN – On a night when one of the smoothest shooters in Ashland-area basketball history broke Mapleton’s scoring record, the Hillsdale Falcons were a buzzkill.

Mounties senior Scotty Hickey netted a game-high 31 points and moved into first place in MHS history with 1,357 for his career. But Hillsdale stole his thunder with a 68-54 victory at Mapleton.

It was the fifth win in the last six games for the Falcons (11-4) and also their 18^th consecutive regular-season win in non-conference play, dating to the 2022-23 season.

Second-year Hillsdale head coach Ben Ferguson was happy with his squad’s pace of play, as the Falcons turned in their second-most points out of 10 games in January.

He also credited the competition in the Wayne County Athletic League with giving Hillsdale the foundation it needs to succeed.

“They are a very good ballclub and they’ll continue to be successful,” Ferguson said of the Mounties (9-6). “But what I will say is there is a giant difference between Wayne County League basketball and folks outside of Wayne County League basketball.

“It is hard to have (Tuesday’s) kind of tempo in a Wayne County League game.”

Ironically, Hillsdale’s last loss in a regular-season non-conference contest was nearly two years ago to the day in the same gym. That was an 81-51 dismantling at Mapleton on Jan. 24, 2023.

But the Falcons trailed just once Tuesday night – 3-2 after Hickey made his first of four 3-pointers – and they used a 23-10 scoring advantage in the third quarter to pull away.

“I’m not going to sit here and be too proud and say that (the Firelands Conference) is better; the Wayne County League is better,” Mapleton head coach Nick Hickey said. “I try to play as many of their teams as we can because I know our team’s going to get better by playing those teams.”

When the Falcons and Mounties met last season, Hillsdale never trailed in a 56-50 victory and held Scotty Hickey to just nine points.

But the returning All-Ohio senior guard had a milestone night to remember Tuesday.

Hickey ripped the net with a 3-pointer from 7 feet behind the perimeter on the right wing with 2:45 left in the fourth quarter to move into first all-time at MHS. That bucket sent him past 2017 graduate Gage Barone, who ended his career with 1,354 points.

Hickey finished his night with 10 field goals and a 7-for-10 effort from the free-throw line.

Ferguson lauded the defense of sophomore guard Kael Lewis on the Mounties senior, who has had to be a heavy scorer all season following the graduation of another MHS 1,000-point scorer, Kyle Sloter.

“We played really well, but he still ended up with 31 points, so it’s not like we held him down,” Ferguson said. “… We knew he was going to get points; our goal was to try to keep him under 20, but we knew that was a tall task.”

Lewis, who scored eight of his career-high 14 points in the first quarter, said Hickey was definitely a unique challenge.

“Once he got downhill, it was super tough (to defend him),” said the sophomore, who also finished with four rebounds and four assists. “We tried to double him at the end of the game, but he’s just a really good player, he’s smart and he’s been doing it for a while.”

Hickey scored seven points in less than a minute to pull the Mounties within 28-26 late in the second quarter.

The Falcons scuffled in that period, managing just two points in a stretch of more than 4 minutes. But senior Holland Young dropped in a late bucket to push Hillsdale ahead 30-26 at halftime.

Junior guard Troy Bennett (nine points) then hit back-to-back shots during a 12-3 third-quarter run for the Falcons that made it 45-31, and Mapleton didn’t get within single digits the rest of the way.

Hillsdale’s most menacing figure of the night was post player Bradey Krichbaum. One year after terrorizing the Mounties with a 23-rebound effort (one short of the single-game school record at HHS), he matched that total yet again.

Krichbaum had a team-high 17 points and three blocks to go along with his 23 boards, and the Falcons smashed Mapleton on the glass, 49-23.

He entered the night averaging a double-double for the season (15 points, 10 rebounds).

“We don’t have a big man like that in the conference,” coach Hickey said. “There’s no Krichbaum in the Firelands Conference.”

Hickey felt Hillsdale point guard Lowen Ferguson played beyond his years as well. The freshman finished with 11 points and six rebounds while pushing the squad’s fastbreak offense.

“Lowen is a good decision-maker, he handles the ball well,” coach Hickey said. “You can’t force them into turnovers easily. For a young kid, that’s impressive.”

Falcons junior Hayden McFadden also had a balanced night with seven points, six assists and four rebounds.

The Mounties are trying to climb out of a lull that currently has them on a four-game losing skid. Mapleton has fallen out of the race for an FC title (4-4 league record) and scored a season-low 43 points Friday in a 62-43 loss at Plymouth.

But coach Hickey felt his squad showed much more fight and passion Tuesday night.

Junior Dalton Beattie neared a double-double with eight points, eight rebounds and five steals, while senior Joe Foster had six points and seven boards.

“Our last three games, we just didn’t play very hard,” Hickey said. “Tonight, we played hard. If we play this hard and keep that momentum going – even in this loss that we’re upset about – we’re going to be fine.

“I think after our last loss (at Plymouth), it felt like it was snowballing, but tonight we stopped that. It feels like the trajectory’s going back to where it needs to go.”

Mapleton returns home Friday, with FC-leading Crestview (12-2, 8-0 FC) coming to town. The Cougars claimed the first meeting between the teams this season, 63-55.

As for the Falcons, things are looking up as they head into a home game Friday against Waynedale (6-11, 5-5 WCAL) – a team they toppled 66-49 in their second game of the season.

While Hillsdale also is out of the conversation for a league title in the WCAL (5-4 record), the Falcons have been thriving behind a defense that came into Tuesday allowing just 48 points per game.

The victory at Mapleton gives Hillsdale at least 11 wins for the third straight season, something the program hadn’t done since 2011-12.

“We all feel pretty good,” Lewis said. “We’re super excited and we just want to stay in the top four in our region. … We’re hoping to make a big run.”

(Photos by Doug Haidet)