Hillsboro ends regular season with wins against Haven

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 21 February 2012 22:30

Callie Serene launches a three-point shot during the first half. The senior was 4-of-5 from behind the arc and led the Trojans with 18 points.    Senior Jesse Allen glides in to score two of his 10 points against Haven. Hillsboro punctuated the end of the regular season Tuesday with a pair of wins against Haven in Brown Gymnasium.

The Trojan girls defeated Haven by a surprisingly comfortable margin, 48-23, to win the Central Kansas League championship outright and secure the No. 1 seed in next week’s sub-state tournament with an 18-2 record.

The Hillsboro and Haven boys battled to a standoff through three quarters, but the Trojans stepped up with a 23-11 fourth quarter en route to their 64-52 victory. The win assures Hillsboro of a top-three seed in sub-state with 16-4 record.

GIRLS -- Stepping in against a team that was vying for a share of the league title, Hillsboro came out strong and stayed in control throughout the contest. Using the off-ball screen, Krista Reimer scored three consecutive baskets in just over a minute for a quick 6-2 lead. Addie Lackey stepped up with a pair of baskets, Reimer added her fourth and Callie Serene drained a three-pointer to expand the lead to 15-3. Haven rallied with five straight points as the first quarter ended at 15-8.

With Hillsboro leading 17-11, Serene got hot. The senior hit a two-point shot and two three-pointers over a span of less than three minutes to inflate the lead to 25-11. Serene hit one more three with 1:35 left in the half for a 28-13 margin, but Haven closed the gap to 28-17 by halftime.

Both teams struggled for points in the third quarter, but Courtney Weber’s basket with 1:23 left gave Hillsboro a 31-21 lead after three quarters.

A 14-2 Hillsboro run through the first 5:35 of the final period gave the Trojans their final 48-23 margin of victory.

Serene finished with a game-high 18 points. Lackey and Reimer added 12 for the Trojans, who claimed the CKL title with an 8-1 record. Haven, who dropped top 6-3 and 14-6, made only one of 17 field-goal attempts in the second half and only seven of 37 (19 percent) for the game.

BOYS -- The Hillsboro boys proved again that they can find a way to win even if they’re not playing at the top of their game.

Hillsboro led for most of the three first quarters, but the game was definitely in doubt. The two teams were tied at 11 after one quarter, but Haven built a 23-19 lead through the first 5:30 of the second period. A drive and basket by Jesse Allen sparked an 11-2 surge that carried Hillsboro to a 30-25 lead at halftime. Allen added a second basket, Brett Weinbrenner scored off a steal, Christian Ratzlaff nailed a three-pointer from the corner and Josh Wiebe scored in the paint with four seconds left to give the Trojans the five-point advantage.

What Hillsboro gained in the second period, it lost in the third period. The Trojans were leading 41-37 after Weinbrenner hit a three-pointer from the wing. But Haven’s Dylan Miller and Cody Crabtree scored baskets in the final 28 seconds to tie the game at 41 as the third quarter ended.

With the scored tied again at 43, Shaq Thiessen hit a three-pointer from the wing with 5:46 to go. After a Haven basket, Ratzlaff hit a three from the corner with 4:30 left for a 49-45 Trojan lead.

Thiessen added a three-point basket and Ratzlaff a two-pointer to make the score 54-48 with 2:42 to go. From there it became a free-throw exhibition for the Trojans, who made 10 of 12, starting at the 2:18 mark and lasting until coach Darrel Knoll cleared the bench with 17 seconds left.

Ratzlaff finished the game with 18 points, Weinbrenner 14 and Allen 10 to lead the Trojans.