Hamilton finished their season 25-1, losing to Freeland in the state semifinals 71-66.
The undefeated Hawkeyes played the Falcons on Friday evening for a spot in the Division II state championship game.
Hamilton started out strong, putting the first points on the board.
The first half was a fight between the teams, but Hamilton ultimately came out ahead 31-23. They were led by A.J. Ediger who scored a game-high 33 points for the Hawkeyes.
But in the second half, Freeland outscored Hamilton by 18 points, led by Kadyn Blanchard who had 23 point on the night.
"We wanted a different outcome and I think in a different world we could've had that outcome," said senior Riki Ediger, "But I will only look back on this with fond memories of a team who worked super hard throughout the season."
"It's sad to go out this way but it's the best record that Hamilton's ever had so we're really proud of that and I'll remember it forever," said senior Bria Schrotenboer.
In the third quarter, the Hawkeyes widened the gap, leading by 9 points. By the end of the quarter, Hamilton was in the lead 51-46.
Freeland aggressively took over the score board in the fourth quarter, pushing past Hamilton. With 5:03 left in the game, Freeland was in the lead with 58 points to Hamilton's 56.
Throughout the rest of the fourth quarter, the Falcons maintained their lead while Hamilton tried to surpass them.
With 30 seconds left, Freeland had only a 2 point lead over Hamilton. But the Falcons made that margin bigger with a 3-pointer, leaving the Hawkeyes 19 seconds to catch up.
The Falcons ultimately beat Hamilton 71-66.
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