Hillsboro Lady Indians control first half in win over Batavia
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Hillsboro Lady Indians won for the third straight game on Saturday afternoon, this time controlling the pace and allowing very few points in the first half with a win over the visiting Batavia Lady Bulldogs by a 45-27 score.
Hillsboro’s non-conference win over Batavia saw the Lady Indians lead by a 21-4 score at halftime as they held the visiting team to no points in the second quarter, while HHS scored 14 points in the first and seven points in the second.
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In the opening quarter, HHS (4-2) built an 11-4 lead with 1:11 left in the first frame as Karleigh Hopkins scored nine of those 11 points, while Delaney Eakins added the other two points. That seven-point lead turned into a lead of 10 points as Lana Grover swished a 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining in the opening quarter for the 14-4 score.
In the second, the Lady Indians’ offense consisted of a free throw by Kaley Burns at the 7:36 mark of the frame, followed by a free throw by Kayden Watson at the 6:44 mark.
From there, the Lady Indians didn’t score points again in the second until there were 11 seconds on the clock when Grover sank her second 3-pointer of the game. With 7.7 left in the first half, Kayden Watson made two free throws after BHS had a technical foul called on them for the 21-4 advantage after 16 minutes of play.
Batavia played better in the third frame, outscoring the Lady Indians 13-6, getting to within a 25-13 score with 2:14 left in the quarter. HHS scored a layup from Hopkins off a layup where she maneuvered around the defense of BHS with 1:53 left on the clock. Hopkins finished with 13 points for the Lady Indians. BHS answered with the final four points of the third for the 10-point deficit as they trailed Hillsboro.
“We struggled at times (Saturday) with this being our third game in four days,” HHS head coach JR Moberly said. “I was proud of the kids. They battled and did what they had to do to get themselves a cushion in the first half. I thought we played really hard, and (Batavia) didn’t shoot really well in the first half, and part of that has to be attributed to the pressure our kids put on them.
“The third quarter was a struggle for us. We let them back into it, but found it again in the fourth and were able to pull away.”
The Lady Indians began the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run with five straight points from Watson, including a 3-pointer at the 7:03 mark. Watson tied with Hopkins for a team-high 13 points for HHS. After two points by Batavia, HHS had a layup from Natalie Sullivan to make the lead 17 points at 34-17 with 6:26 left in regulation.
From that point, the Lady Indians never relinquished the lead, sealing the win.
“It was a great week and I’m really proud of the kids,” Moberly said. “Back-to-back is tough, and to come back to play again on Saturday is tough. I’m really pleased with how our kids are working together and accepting their roles. Every night it is a different kid stepping up.
“We have a lot of girls playing, and it is difficult to find minutes for some other kids who deserve to play. That’s going to be a challenge. We have a couple girls who we have to find minutes for, and I’m struggling with that right now. I appreciate they are hanging in and practicing hard, and hopefully I’ll be able to find them some minutes too.”
In JV play, the Lady Indians won by a 52-22 score. Kayden Watson led HHS with 13 points, followed by Kira Watson and Josie Hopkins with eight points each.
Next for the Lady Indians is a game on Wednesday, Dec. 13 vs. Miami Trace in Frontier Athletic Conference action.
Hillsboro’s non-conference win over Batavia saw the Lady Indians lead by a 21-4 score at halftime as they held the visiting team to no points in the second quarter, while HHS scored 14 points in the first and seven points in the second.
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In the opening quarter, HHS (4-2) built an 11-4 lead with 1:11 left in the first frame as Karleigh Hopkins scored nine of those 11 points, while Delaney Eakins added the other two points. That seven-point lead turned into a lead of 10 points as Lana Grover swished a 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining in the opening quarter for the 14-4 score.
In the second, the Lady Indians’ offense consisted of a free throw by Kaley Burns at the 7:36 mark of the frame, followed by a free throw by Kayden Watson at the 6:44 mark.
From there, the Lady Indians didn’t score points again in the second until there were 11 seconds on the clock when Grover sank her second 3-pointer of the game. With 7.7 left in the first half, Kayden Watson made two free throws after BHS had a technical foul called on them for the 21-4 advantage after 16 minutes of play.
Batavia played better in the third frame, outscoring the Lady Indians 13-6, getting to within a 25-13 score with 2:14 left in the quarter. HHS scored a layup from Hopkins off a layup where she maneuvered around the defense of BHS with 1:53 left on the clock. Hopkins finished with 13 points for the Lady Indians. BHS answered with the final four points of the third for the 10-point deficit as they trailed Hillsboro.
“We struggled at times (Saturday) with this being our third game in four days,” HHS head coach JR Moberly said. “I was proud of the kids. They battled and did what they had to do to get themselves a cushion in the first half. I thought we played really hard, and (Batavia) didn’t shoot really well in the first half, and part of that has to be attributed to the pressure our kids put on them.
“The third quarter was a struggle for us. We let them back into it, but found it again in the fourth and were able to pull away.”
The Lady Indians began the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run with five straight points from Watson, including a 3-pointer at the 7:03 mark. Watson tied with Hopkins for a team-high 13 points for HHS. After two points by Batavia, HHS had a layup from Natalie Sullivan to make the lead 17 points at 34-17 with 6:26 left in regulation.
From that point, the Lady Indians never relinquished the lead, sealing the win.
“It was a great week and I’m really proud of the kids,” Moberly said. “Back-to-back is tough, and to come back to play again on Saturday is tough. I’m really pleased with how our kids are working together and accepting their roles. Every night it is a different kid stepping up.
“We have a lot of girls playing, and it is difficult to find minutes for some other kids who deserve to play. That’s going to be a challenge. We have a couple girls who we have to find minutes for, and I’m struggling with that right now. I appreciate they are hanging in and practicing hard, and hopefully I’ll be able to find them some minutes too.”
In JV play, the Lady Indians won by a 52-22 score. Kayden Watson led HHS with 13 points, followed by Kira Watson and Josie Hopkins with eight points each.
Next for the Lady Indians is a game on Wednesday, Dec. 13 vs. Miami Trace in Frontier Athletic Conference action.