HOPKINTON – They’re the loudest fans at any Hopkinton boys basketball game. They make the most noise when the Hawks score. They’re the first to boo the officials when the call doesn’t go Hopkinton’s way. They make it to every home game to support their team.

They’re also the group that’s going to be playing in the Hawks hoops program come next season.

After winning the 50-50 raffle and just missing a threepoint shot during halftime, 9- year-old Sam Winslow joined his friends back in the stands. Winslow, who comes to almost every game, and his classmates are one year from trying out for the Hopkinton Middle School basketball team.

“This is the first time we’ve had a middle school program,” said Hawks head coach Dave Chase. “Now the younger guys are coming to the games and seeing us play regularly. Before it would be recreation leagues the middle school kids would come from, but now the middle school program will steam roll into our high school one.”

Winslow’s crew had plenty to cheer about on Thursday, Jan. 11, as the Hawks downed Raymond, 52-45.

The win improved Hopkinton to 4-3. With four new starters, including a first-time point guard, Chase said the record comes as no surprise despite leading the team to the Class M semifinals last year.

Close games and tight finishes have become the norm; the Hawks have beaten opponents by an average 6.75 points per game and lost by an average 7.0 points per game. Chase attributed the deficit to his team’s inexperience.

“This team works harder, physically, than anyone else in the league,” Chase said. “But they don’t have a high basketball IQ, and that’s what we have to work on. Every game’s been like this – up-and-down until the end. We’ve got to learn how to build a lead and protect it.”

Hopkinton trailed, 22-21, at halftime but came out ahead, 33-32, after three quarters. Senior guard/forward David Garrison sparked Hopkinton’s fourth-quarter surge when he hit a three-pointer to open the frame.

The Hawks outscored Raymond, 19-13, in the final eight minutes. They were 15-for-22 from the free-throw line, 68 percent overall, far superior to the team’s 51-percent average.

The hosts outrebounded the Rams, 37-24, including 17 off the offensive glass.

“The kids play with passion and aren’t going to give a lackluster performance on their home court,” Chase said of playing in front of a packed house. “The support of the fans is always there, and the guys really feed off it. They don’t want to let the fans down.”

Game notes

Garrison scored 16 points, while David Brandt added 13. Sophomore center/forward Tom Johnson scored nine. Sophomore forward Jake Nichols hit for eight. Jon Reen added four points and Jake McManus scored two.