Cast as the No. 1 team in Class 2A preseason polls, the Hillsboro girls did nothing to undermine their lofty status when they defeated sixth-ranked Moundridge, 51-43, to win the Wildcats? preseason tournament Friday with a 3-0 record
Seniors Addie Lackey and Danae Bina led the charge with 23 and 18 points, respectively, in a game that featured the up-tempo style of the Trojans against the more deliberate approach of the Wildcats.
Moundridge scored first, but the Trojans? defense allowed only two more baskets in the opening quarter while the offense pushed the ball successfully for 15 points. Lackey supplied seven of those points and Bina and Alex Ratzlaff each added four.
?Moundridge is very disciplined,? coach Nathan Hiebert said. ?Their first possession, they ran almost a minute and a half off the clock?and got a bucket. That?s how they play and that?s how they get the other team out of their flow.
?I felt like our girls did a good job of getting out of that,? he added. ?Addie did a great job getting into the passing lanes and got several steals that helped us get out on breaks.?
Hillsboro pushed the margin to 27-15 when Bina nailed a three-pointer with a minute left in the half. But a three at the buzzer by the Wildcats? Michelle Schrag gave the home team a late boost heading into the locker room.
The lead remained about the same throughout the third quarter with the Trojans in front 39-28 as it ended.
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats battled back to within 45-40 with 2:43 to go.
?I think our transition defense was the thing that let them back in the game, because they got a lot of buckets early in their offense?where we could have been a little more disciplined in getting to our spots,? Hiebert said.
The Trojans began running clock, forcing Mound?ridge to foul. Hillsboro made five of seven free throws in the final 46 seconds?four of five by Bina?to nail down what turned into an eight-point margin by the final buzzer.
HHS 62, Inman 22
Second round, Thursday
Inman built a 6-3 lead over the first 2:30 of the game before the Trojans finally developed a head of steam that carried them to an easy victory.
With 4:40 left in the first quarter, Alex Ratzlaff lit up the Teutons for six points, Addie Lackey added three and Danae Bina two as Hillsboro finished the quarter with a 15-2 run.
After Ratzlaff hit the first two baskets of the second quarter, Allison Weber drained a three-pointer. Suddenly, Hillsboro was on top 25-8 only 2 minutes into the period.
Ratzlaff?s three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half sent the Trojans to the locker room with a 35-14 cushion?even with Lackey and Bina sitting on the bench with three fouls each.
In the end the foul situation didn?t matter. The Trojans rolled through a 23-6 third quarter on the way to a 58-20 lead at the final break.
Coach Nathan Hiebert cleared his bench as the fourth quarter started, and with a running clock, the Trojan reserves outscored Inman 4-2 for the final 40-point spread.
Ratzlaff finished with a game-high 21 points. Lackey added 16 and Bina 11.
?I thought we ran well and got some good buckets,? Hiebert said. ?Alex played really, really well and shot really well. We also had some patience on ball movement, and I thought those were the best possessions that we had.?
HHS 50, Lyons 30
First round, Tuesday
Displaying stretches of both smooth and bumpy basketball in its season opener, Hillsboro allowed Lyons to stay within reach for three quarters.
?I told the girls a lot of times when we play Lyons early (in the season) it?s an ugly game,? coach Nathan Hiebert said. ?They like to play fast, and it just kind of ends up making us look kind of sloppy. That?s the way it felt.?
In the first start of her career, junior Darcy Hein?richs hit two baskets in the first minute of the game to give the Trojans a lead they would never relinquish.
After a 12-8 first quarter, Addie Lackey, Danae Bina and Alex Ratzlaff combined for all 13 of Hillsboro?s points on the way to a 25-17 lead at halftime.
The third quarter proved to be the bumpiest stretch for the Trojans. Midway through, a string of four consecutive possessions ended with turnovers, enabling the Lions to narrow Hillsboro?s lead from 27-19 to 27-25 with just over 3 minutes left in the period.
Ratz?laff responded with a two-point and three-point basket, then Bina nailed a 15-foot jumper to boost the margin to 34-26 as the quarter ended.
Fortunately, the Trojans saved their best moments for last. With the score 36-28, Hillsboro went on a 14-2 run to the finish line, salting away their first victory. Lackey and Ratzlaff each kicked in seven points during the run.
The two Trojans also tied for game-high scoring honors with 18 points each. As a team, Hillsboro shot 37 percent from the floor.
The defense contributed to 22 Lyons turnovers and limited the Lions to 20 percent shooting (10-50).
Coming?Hillsboro was scheduled to host Halstead Tuesday, then will wrap up their pre-holiday schedule with a rematch at Lyons.
