ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DR
A combination of aggressive, physical defense by Halstead and some poor shooting and a lack of intensity by the Trojans were enough to give Halstead a 51-46 upset win over Hillsboro Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Brown Gymnasium.
Unofficially, the Trojan boys made only 16 of 53 shots from the field for the night. Even so, they led for most of the game before Halstead took its first lead in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. The Dragons expanded that lead to as much as six points, 48-42 with 2:18 to play, then missed two straight one-and-one opportunities, which Hillsboro cashed in on to pull within two points, 48-46 on two free throws by Ross Duerksen with 1:05 left.
After Layne Frick missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, Halstead’s Brandt Pyle rebounded, was fouled and sank both free throws to give his team a four-point edge. Frick then missed a 10-footer in the lane with six seconds to go. Pyle rebounded again, was fouled, and made one of two free throws for the final margin.
With the loss, Hillsboro’s record stands at 14-2.
The Trojan girls, meanwhile, rolled over a Halstead team that was sorely missing its star player, Lindsey Miles, who is out with a knee injury. Without her, the Dragons had little with which to hold off the more talented and experienced Trojans, who raced to a 67-30 win that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate.
Sara Thiessen scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the first half. Shannon Kroeker added 12 points and Amber Hefley 10 for Hillsboro, who now stands at 13-3 for the season.
Halstead upsets Hillsboro boys, Tuesday
