Grafton boys start NSC play with win

The season started with a big loss to a top team and a solid win over a squad that often struggles for the young and inexperienced Grafton High School boys’ basketball team.

The Black Hawks on Nov. 30 lost their season opener at home to highly ranked Kaukauna, 104-72.

“It was great for our guys. You always want to try to measure yourself as one of the best and compete against players and programs at a high level,” coach Damon James said.

While the Galloping Ghosts had three players with more than 20 points, nobody had more than sophomore guard Michael McNabb, Jr., who scored 36 for the Hawks. He went 11-for-17 shooting and made three of six three-pointers. He also had six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

“He did a lot of different things,” James said. “Mike’s a competitor, and he would gladly take the victory over the points.”

The Hawks got 11 points from freshman point guard Juan Guererro Hernandez, Jr., along with seven rebounds and five assists.

“You learn by being thrown into the fire and there’s no better way going against Kaukauna and their point guard, who has committed to a Horizon League school,” James said.

That guard, Christopher Morgan, scored 28 points and had 14 assists.

Grafton’s other major scorers were Bennett Hildebrand with 10 points and Chase Norton with nine.

Last Friday, the Hawks bounced back with a 69-51 win at West Bend West, which has finished in the bottom half of the North Shore Conference the past couple of seasons and lost all-time boys’ leading scorer Aaron Tennies to graduation.

McNabb scored 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Hildebrand had 17 points. Guererro Hernandez had 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

“Those three guys carried us offensively,” James said.

James praised a couple of others, too.

“Defensively, Jonathan Blaubach was absolutely great. His energy was great,” he said. “And Clayton Wiziarde was being vocal — things that don’t show up in stats.”

The Hawks led, 27-26, at the break before turning it on.

“The first half was a roller coaster in terms of what we worked on in the last two days,” James said. “The second half was much better, especially the ball movement.”

Grafton was to host Port Washington on Tuesday and host Cedarburg on Friday. The Hawks play at Milwaukee Hamilton on Saturday and at Whitefish Bay on Tuesday, Dec. 14.