The Blackville-Hilda High boys varsity basketball team's stellar start added another impressive chapter Friday night in the Hawks Nest.

Taking on region rival Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High, the Hawks seemed to be grounded as they trailed 36-27 at halftime.

However, in the second half, the Hawks found their wings and took flight.

Fueled by the play of Larry Smith, the Blackville-Hilda High erased a nine-point halftime deficit for a 68-56 win.

Down 38-29 early in the third quarter, the Hawks turned their fortunes with a 16-2 run. The scoring run game the Hawks a 45-40 advantage entering the final quarter.

"That was a big turnaround for our ball team," Blackville-Hilda High head coach Michael Beasley said.

"H-K-T pretty much controlled the tempo of the game the entire first half. In the second half, we needed something to get us going and our players stepped up big."

With the win, Blackville-Hilda High improves to 9-2 on the season and 2-0 in region play.

For the game, Blackville-Hilda had three players scoring in double figures.

Jaeleel Hammond had a superb outing with 10 points, seven assists and four steals. Javaris Dukes performed well at the point guard position with 12 points, 10 assists and four steals while Larry Johnson added nine points and four assists.

The Hawks also received a good performance by Andrea Smith in the paint with five points and 15 rebounds.

Earlier in the week Jan. 5, the Hawks crushed Ridge Spring-Monetta by a score of 76-42.

In the contest, the Hawks flew to a 40-21 halftime lead behind 12 first half points by Jaleel Hammond. Hammonds finished with 19 points on seven-of-12 shooting from the field with a three-pointer.

Also stepping up offensively for the Hawks was center Andrea Smith. Smith turned in his best performance of he season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Larry Johnson also shined on the offensive end with 17 points, seven assists and four steals.

Several others player performing well included Tony Johnson with eight points and Larry Smith had nine points.

"Right now, we're playing really well as a group," Beasley said. "Offensively, our guards are pushing the ball upcourt and creating scoring opportunities for our front line players in the paint. At this time, this team is playing with a lot of confidence and we hope to keep the momentum going."