Hillsboro loses twice to Haven in final road game of the regular season

The story lines were significantly different, but the results were the same as the Hillsboro basketball teams lost both games at Haven Tuesday night. The Trojan girls found themselves in a 13-0 hole at the start, then played the Wildcats to a standoff the rest of the way en route to 48-34 defeat. The Trojan boys, meanwhile, played the home team evenly through three and a half quarters only to see a potential victory unravel in the final four minutes in a 69-61 defeat.

GIRLS — With primary scorer Alex Ratzlaff sitting on the bench for the first 4 minutes of the game as a routine consequence to a team practice policy, the Wildcats were quick to take advantage.

With the help of six Trojan turnovers, Haven built an 11-0 lead before Ratzlaff finally entered the game, then scored one more basket before she broke the scoring drought with a traditional three-point play at the 3:22 mark of the first quarter.

The lead didn?t vacillate a lot after that. Haven led 16-5 after one quarter and 27-13 at halftime. After three quarters the score was 37-21. When Ratzlaff hit a pair of threes to start the fourth quarter, then added two free throws, the Trojans closed the gap to as close as 37-29 at the midway point of the fourth quarter.

But there was to be no miracle comeback, as the Wildcats held off the Trojans and slowly pushed the final margin to 14 points.

Ratzlaff finished with 18 points as the Trojan slipped to 8-10 for the year and 5-4 in the Central Kansas League. Haven improved to 11-7 and 5-4.

BOYS — Hillsboro finally offered a consistent scoring attack in an effort to capture a rare victory on the Haven home floor. The Trojans led 19-15 after the first quarter, with Micah Allen chipping in eight points. Haven whittled the margin at halftime to two points, 32-30.

David Dick made his presence known offensively, hitting two of his four three-point baskets within a 1:20 span during the third quarter to tie the game at 38. Haven slipped in front at the end of the quarter, 48-46.

Haven scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter. But two free throws, a two-point basket and a three by Allen over a 2:00 span drew the Trojans to within 54-53, then Grant Knoll scored on basket in the paint to put the Trojans on top with 4:44 to play.

On Haven?s next trip down the floor. Knoll was called for a foul on a missed three-point shot by Rian Borntrager. Knoll yelped to express frustration with his mistake — but he did it too close to an opposing player, as deemed by one official, who called a technical foul. Borntrager made two of three free throws for the foul, Tim Hendrixson then made one of two free throws on the technical foul, and Mike Eash hit a pair of free throws after he was fouled when the Wildcats were given possession of the ball — a swing of five points that put Haven on top 59-55 with 3:45 to go.

From that point on, the Trojans grew increasingly desperate offensively, committing two turnovers that led directly to Haven baskets while making only one of their seven shots from the floor. The Wildcats finished with an eight-point win that boosted their record to 11-7 for the season and 5-4 in the league. Hillsboro dropped to 9-9 and 3-6. It was the Trojans? fourth straight loss.

Allen finished with 25 points, Dick added a career-high 12 and Preston Loewen chipped in 10 points.

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