With three games left in the regular season, Hillsboro girls are picking up steam, coming off a 55-23 win over winless Larned, improving to 10-7.

It took one quarter to get on track offensively, but after grabbing a 7-5 lead to start the second quarter, Hillsboro blew the Indians out of the gym.

The Arctic blast that blanketed the area two days earlier was still hovering over Larned’s shooting, managing a woeful 14% the first half and 23% for the game. 

If cold shooting wasn’t enough for the Indians to contend with, the Trojans forced 29 turnovers — 20 more than Larned’s total of field goals. 

Teegan Werth dropped a season-high 25 points on Larned, but outside Werth, Kinsey Kleiner’s 7 points were most best support Hillsboro had. 

It wasn’t necessary with Hillsboro threatening to blow the game open by halftime with a 20-5 second quarter for a 27-10 lead. 

The Trojans dominated Larned rebounding, too, 40-36, led by Emersyn Funk’s game-high 7, with the Trojans also pulling down 13 rebounds, offensively. 

The Indians’ shooting warmed up to 35% the second half, but Larned never jeopardized the lead with the Trojans shooting 38 percent for 34 overall. 

Sixteen of Larned’s 29 turnovers came off steals. The trio of Kleiner, Funk, and Mallory Ediger combined for nine, with three each. 

  Hillsboro stretched its lead as far as 34 with 6:21 left in the game, but the Indians did just enough to avoid a running clock. 

  Boys lose by one

Hillsboro boys’ bumpy season continued, after a last-second shot sunk the Trojans in a 51-50 setback. 

Hillsboro remains a game above .500 at 9-8 overall. 

And unfortunately, Skelton hasn’t graduated yet. 

Larned’s Brock Skelton struck again Friday with Hillsboro hanging on to a 50-49 lead. In the waning seconds he drained the winning basket for two of his four points. 

The Trojans had about everything they needed to take down the Indians outside yielding a game-high 23 points to Chase Sanger. 

They shot 50 percent from the floor, winning the rebounding battle, 34-26, and getting support from three players in double figures, paced by Breckyn Ratzlaff’s 16 points. 

Not to mention holding Larned to 37 percent for the night, including 32 the second half. 

Putting a full game together hasn’t been the easiest to come by this year, though, and Larned’s 16-6 third quarter, three less turnovers and nine more attempts at the free-throw line kept the Trojans from ever extending their lead past five. 

The Trojans were within one after the first quarter, and had a 29-27 lead by halftime with the trio of Ratzlaff, Matthew Potucek, and Dillon Boldt leading the way, behind 52 percent shooting.  

Potucek added 12 points and Boldt tossed in 11. 

Larned’s third quarter led a 45-35 lead early in the fourth quarter, before Hillsboro came roaring back to take a 50-45 lead with 1:52 left.

The Indians stuck out a 6-0 run, though, and took home the win.

The Trojans close out the week Friday at home against Lyons.