Placer boys win 2 of 3 at Honk Williams Tournament

There are bound to be setbacks over the course of a 28-game high school basketball regular season, but the important thing in December is how they bounce back. After suffering its first loss of the season on Dec. 11 to Fairfield in overtime, Placer was looking to get back on the right foot in the round-robin Honk Williams Tournament at Vacaville High School. The Hillmen were shorthanded for the entire weekend without starting point guard Kannon Rector, who was sidelined with a minor injury, but they found a way to win their remaining two games, downing Vacaville and reigning CIF NorCal Regional Division I runner-up Granada. Tasked with filling Rector's shoes was sophomore guard Tanner Baldwin, who rose to the occasion and helped provide a spark for the Hillmen on both ends of the floor. Although Baldwin only scored five points Saturday, he forced several turnovers and drew multiple charges while running the offense. Coach Nate Swesey said Baldwin gained varsity experience during the tournament and he feels it will pay off. "From Wednesday to Sunday, he grew a ton. He stood in there and got some pretty good shots to himself. The other teams ran through a couple screens, threw some elbows at him, knocked him down, and he got right back up. It didn't phase him," Swesey said. "He went in with the big boys and made some great passes and got some great offensive rebounds. He got all the hustle plays, and he didn't back down at all." In Friday's 66-60 victory over Vacaville, the Hillmen were led by a 29-point effort from Emmett Rose and 19 points from Joe Manley. Swesey said it was not the prettiest game the Hillmen have played, but he was impressed with their grit and resilience to close the game. "Against Vacaville, it was just a comedy of errors for both teams. There were 41 fouls called. There were a lot of turnovers for both teams," Swesey said. "We had a 12-point lead but we didn't close out the game very well so we talked to the team and decided that we want to get back to the basic fundamentals and play Placer basketball. On Saturday, they responded and against a really good Granada team. They were big and strong and well-coached and we jumped on them." Rose scored 21 points in Saturday's 59-53 win while Manley added 14. Manley also led the team in rebounding against Granada with six while Baldwin secured five. Baldwin dished out six assists. The Hillmen were to host Antelope (8-2) on Tuesday before traveling to Jackson to face Ripon on Thursday in the Argonaut Tournament.