March 9, 2026 at 9:20 a.m.
Game Report: From Determination to Dominance (Hauser vs. Milan 03/09)
By Greg Turner, HSJ Online Sports Contributor
With filled seats, bright lights and anticipating fans, the atmosphere was set for an electric night. Looking among the crowd I asked myself, “Is the town of Hope empty?”
Although not an enormous venue, I could count on one hand the number of empty seats in the 2,000 maximum capacity Milan High School gymnasium. And for being the traveling team of the night, the crowd seemed overwhelmingly in favor of our hometown heroes.
The National Anthem was sung, the starting lineup announced and the opposing student sections had begun the time-honored tradition of chirping at one another.
If I’m being honest, given the previous meeting between the two teams, I wasn’t expecting much of a game. I would soon be proved wrong.
The Indians came out with that historic “Milan Magic” mentality, scoring first and giving our Hauser Jets all they wanted in the opening minutes of the first quarter. The Jets, led by a slew of seniors, went basket for basket and defensive stop for stop for most of the 1st quarter. However, following a harrowing moment when fan favorite Kameron Blair went out with an apparent ankle injury, the mood somewhat shifted. The Jets seemed a little unsettled and rushed, as the two teams battled, staying somewhat close. The quarter ended with an onslaught of pressure and consequential baskets by Hauser, 21-10.
The second quarter would see little offensive action, as seniors Gavin Keller and Stryker Gill went on a bit of a dry spell. But low and behold, the team was soon rejuvenated when #22 came back with a taped ankle and a lot of bounce in his step. The crowd stood and cheered as he entered the game. The three starters had found their groove once again, ending the half with a score of 35-18.
The second half would be a dominant demonstration of team ball. As the Jets pulled away from a still battling Milan team, attrition soon reared its ugly head. Seven Jets would see the ball clear the cylinder as well as a milestone 1,000 career points achieved by #12, Stryker Gill. It was all smiles and cheers from the Hauser faithful. The 3rd quarter would end with an impressive score of 58-34.
As time dwindled down in the 4th, many Jet players would trade their front row seats for spots on the floor. It was a true show of teamwork and genuine support from the starters that would watch the game end, once again with the cutting of a net and a trophy donning them the Sectional Champions. Final score, 73-42.
As great as a moment it was, the team is nowhere near satisfied, the hunger for a state n championship lingers in these young men. Watching them interact with each other, be each other’s fans, and just the overwhelming support you see on and off the court… you can’t help but feel that this will be the year that they see victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Until then, I guess we just have to be content with being back-to-back sectional champs!
They advanced to the IHSAA Regional to face South Decatur with a 1 p.m. tipoff on March 14 in Seymour.
