Grothaus gives West Hancock huge lift off bench as Titans reach 20-victory plateau

QUINCY — Gavin Grothaus has gladly accepted his role as the West Hancock boys basketball team’s sixth man.

In fact, the sophomore guard relishes the role of being first player off the bench.

“I’ve been the sixth man all year,” Grothaus said. “I like it because it gives me a little time to watch and get used to (the flow) of the game.”

Obviously, Grothaus is a keen observer if Friday night was any indication.

Grothaus scored a game-high 24 points, hitting six 3-point field goals and triggering West Hancock’s easier-than-expected 54-32 victory over Griggsville-Perry in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at Quincy Notre Dame.

The game matched a pair of 19-win clubs, but West Hancock (20-9) was able to pull away in the second half. The Titans owned a 32-16 advantage over the final 16 minutes against Griggsville-Perry (19-6).

“We were able to pull away in the second half thanks to some great shooting and defense,” said Grothaus, who nailed at least one 3-pointer in all four quarters. He had 15 of his points in the second half.

“I love having (Grothaus) come off the bench,” West Hancock coach Jeff Dahl said. “He’s stronger than he was a year ago, and he’s put in a lot of work.”

Grothaus also had six rebounds, helping the Titans control the boards 39-24. Teammate Alec Hymes led all rebounders with 11.

Hymes (9), Luke Jacquot (9) and Bryan Gerhardt (6) added 24 points for West Hancock.

The Titans’ suffocating defense only allowed Griggsville-Perry to reach double figures in one quarter (10 points in the third).

“We really picked it up on defense, and on offense we wanted every possession to count,” Dahl said.

Wyatt Lipcaman led Griggsville Perry with 10 points, all in the second half. Michael Myers added nine points and Dayen McCallister had six points and a team-best seven rebounds.