HP struggled through its annual Scot Classic last weekend, posting a win in the opener but dropping the last two games to settle for fourth place in its annual tournament.

 

The Scots (2-2 following the tournament) came out hot in the opener against St. Mark's, doubling up the Lions in the first quarter and then maintaining the lead through the remainder. Junior wing David Allen hit a handful of outside jumpers to lead the Scots with 14 points, and senior captain Luke Turpin poured in 13 points with a few slashing drives to the basket. 

 

HP led 26-20 at halftime, and scored a 5-0 burst at the start of the third quarter. A three-pointer by Turpin put HP ahead 33-23, and the Scots maintained their six-point lead from halftime at the end of the quarter. 

 

Senior captain Zach Chu found Turpin underneath on the first possession of the fourth qusarter, and Turpin scored again on a driving jumper in the lane for another quick 4-0 burst to start the fourth quarter. 

 

St. Mark's never found its consistency against HP's man-to-man defense, and HP took advantage on the other end with transition baskets. Allen's put-back on a fast-break ended an HP 6-1 run to put the Scots ahead 43-32. A steal and basket by Turnpin extended the lead to 45-32, and HP sank enough free throws to earn the 10-point win.

 

It was a different story the following night, or afternoon as it were with HP's semifinal moved back to 4:30 p.m. to accommodate Scots fans wanting to attend the playoff football game that night across the street at Highlander Stadium.

 

A cold shooting night by the Scots led to disaster in a 55-33 loss to Austin High in the semifinals. HP and Austin, which entered the Scot Classic for a fourth consecutive year, have played a number of times and with narrow results in the series.

 

Austin ran away quickly in the first half while HP (2-2) managed just 10 points by halftime. The limited good news from the game came from the seven Scots who scored, led by Jon Jessen with nine points and Ben Strodel with eight. 

 

HP got a fine glimpse of its future in Chase Fletcher, a sophomore who scored a season-high 19 points in the Scots' 67-60 loss to Lake Highlands in the third-place game. Turpin scored 13 points, and James Fraschilla and Jessen each had six for the Scots, who dropped to 2-2 on the season.

 

The Scots take on Ennis on Tuesday night before taking the rest of the holiday week off.