Ol' Skool takes home fifth Hobbs Nite League title, beats ATA 76-63

Brad Cox/News-Sun

Ol' Skool's Ronald Ross goes up for a shot in 

Thursday's Hobbs Nite League title game.

  It was an eight-minute span in the second quarter that turned out to be the difference in the Hobbs Nite League final as No. 2 Ol' Skool outscored defending champ and top-seeded All the Above 26-6 to end the second quarter to turn a 29-17 deficit into a 43-35 halftime lead as ATA didn't get within four points the rest of the game during a 76-63 Ol' Skool win Thursday at Tasker Arena.
  The title is Ol' Skool's fifth since the league came back to an organized status in 2006 - but this was the first time it had made it to the final since 2009 after winning titles from 2006-09.
  ATA went cold offensively in the quarter and for much of the game - with Ol' Skool's tough defense having a lot to do with it. There were very few uncontested shots for ATA outside a few Juhreece Thompson dunks.
  NMJC sophomore Dekabriean Eldridge led Ol' Skool with 32 points while Ronald Ross had 19 and Allen Haynes came up with several clutch shots and scored 18 points.
  Thompson led ATA with 16 points.

Brad Cox/News-Sun

Ol' Skool's Adrianne Ross dribbles during

Thursday's Hobbs Nite League title game.

  Thursday wrapped up probably the most competitive and talent-filled season in the HNL since its revival in 2006. There was talent on every team and each night usually had an entertaining game to watch. I'm still amazed a town of roughly 40,000 can get a league with this much talent in it. It's incredible and will likely continue to grow for years to come.