The Trojans roll past Garden Plain 54-39 in Class 3A first round at Hutch
This group of Hillsboro High girls may have been stepping onto the Hutch Arena floor for the first time in their basketball careers, but they played like they owned the joint, rolling over Garden Plain 54-39 in the opening round of the Class 3A tournament in Hutchinson on Wednesday night.
Hillsboro took a 4-0 lead on baskets by JuliAnne Chisholm and Tina Frick in the first 1:02 and never looked back against the 18-5 Owls. With Lora Andrews chipping in three straight baskets midway through the period, Hillsboro built a 14-9 lead by the first break.
Amy Neufeld picked up the scoring baton to start the second quarter, scoring six unanswered points on two baskets and two free throws in the first 1:42 to fuel a 9-0 run and a 23-9 Trojan lead with 5:27 left in the half. Garden Plain closed the gap to 27-22 with 1:48 to go, but baskets by Dakota Kaufman, Neufeld and Chisholm gave Hillsboro a 33-22 lead at intermission.
The Trojans took complete control of the game in the third quarter by holding the Owls to a single field goal and four total points while scoring 11. With a 44-26 margin to start the final period, the Trojans cruised to a comfortable 15-point victory.
Chisholm led a balanced attack with 12 points as Hillsboro improved to 21-3 for the season. HHS will take on No. 1 seeded and undefeated Neodesha (23-0) in the semifinals on Friday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
