HHS girls advance in sub-state

Same teams, same result, more important circumstances.

Hillsboro defeated Lyons for the fourth time this season, 51-33, to advance to the semifinals of sub-state play Monday at Brown Gymnasium.

The Trojans, who have struggled to take control of the game during their first three match-ups, exerted themselves early this time around but did not pull away until the final period.

Allie Faul hit one basket and Addie Lackey added two more in the first 1:30 for a quick 6-0 lead. Lyons climbed back into the contest with a 6-0 run before Callie Serene hit a three-pointer and two-pointer in the span of 26 seconds to give HHS an 11-6 lead at the first break.

By halftime, Hillsboro had bumped the lead to 21-13, even though the Trojans didn?t score over the last four minutes of the second quarter.

Both teams came out firing in the third quarter, Hillsboro hitting four of five shots and Lyons three of four. Both teams then cooled off and by the end of the quarter, Hillsboro led to 34-22.

Hillsboro finally pulled away with a 10-2 run in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. The Trojans? biggest lead was 22 points at 49-37.

Lacky scored 13 points to pace HHS, who improved to 18-3 with the win. The Lions, who finished their season at 5-15, were led by Anna Nusser with 13 points.

Hillsboro will play the winner of No. 3 seeded Hutch Trinity and No. 6 seeded Marion on Thursday at Halstead. The time of the game was not determined at press time.

Haven?Three quarters of uninspired basketball was too much for Hillsboro?s fourth-quarter rally to overcome last Tuesday. As a result, the Trojans watched a league title slip through their fingers with a 43-39 loss in their regular-season finale at Haven.

Hillsboro, Haven and Pratt all entered the final night of the regular season with one loss in the Central Kansas League. Hills?boro dropped to 7-2, Haven improved to 8-1 and Pratt finished at 7-1 after their last make-up game Friday with Lyons was canceled again because of weather.

Haven?s victory pulled the Wildcats to 17-3 for the season while Hillsboro slipped to 16-4.

The Wildcats were a half-step ahead of the Trojans on both ends of the court on the way to a 13-4 lead after one quarter and a 21-11 margin by halftime.

?The second quarter, I think we shot probably one layup?and Haven, that?s all they were shooting,? coach Nathan Hiebert said. ?They were intent on getting layups. We were content to pass the ball around and shooting over somebody.?

When Haven?s Ashley Rogers followed Rachel Miller?s two-point basket with a three-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter, Haven enjoyed its biggest lead at 30-17. Addie Lackey?s basket cut the margin to 30-19 by the end of the quarter.

The only Trojan exerting much assertiveness on offense, Lackey started the fourth quarter with a traditional three-point play within the first seven seconds. After Haven?s Taylor Boese responded with a three, Allie Faul hit one for Hillsboro a minute later that sparked an 11-3 surge. When Callie Serene capped it with a three at the 2:11 mark, the score stood at 38-33.

Haven then opened the door for the Trojans by missing back-to-back one-and-one opportunities, but Hillsboro could not capitalize at the other end.

The Trojans did pull to within 41-39 when Serene hit another three with nine seconds left. But Haven burned the Trojans? inbound defense with a long pass that Hailey Davis cashed in for a layup.

Lackey finished with 17 points to take game honors. Three Wildcats scored in double figures: Davis led with 14, Rogers added 12 and Miller 10.

?I was very disappointed in our aggressiveness,? Hiebert said. ?We were soft for three quarters. I wanted them to attack the basket?and we finally did in the fourth quarter.?

More from Hillsboro Free Press
HHS standout Dakota Kaufman nominated for McDonald’s All American Team
Hillsboro High School senior Dakota Kaufman is among the 2,000 high school...
Read More