Staff writer
Hillsboro High School girls’ basketball coach Nathan Hiebert said rebounding was the Trojans’ downfall March 12 in a first-round loss to Jefferson County North in the 2A state tournament.
“We controlled the boards first half and gave them one opportunity,” he said. “Third quarter, fourth quarter, I can count at least four or five buckets they got from extra opportunities off of offensive rebounds.”
Though the Chargers only outrebounded Hillsboro 26-25, those extra opportunities helped Jefferson County outscore the Trojans 31-23 in the second half, on the way to a 53-50 win.
“When you play a great team like that, if you let them get a lot of extra opportunities, that results in a lot of extra points we could not afford to give a good team,” Hiebert said.
Danae Bina started hot for Hillsboro, scoring the team’s first 10 points on two threes and two jump shots. The girls trailed for most of the first quarter, but three late points from Addie Lackey helped Hillsboro tie the score at 13 at the end of the quarter.
The Trojans took the lead in the second quarter, in large part due to Lackey driving and finishing at the basket. She finished the game with 26 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the free-throw line. Hillsboro led 27-22 at halftime.
While Hillsboro led 41-37 at the beginning of the fourth, the Chargers locked down on defense, double-teaming Lackey and coming down with rebounds. Lackey, Bina, and Alex Ratzlaff were the Trojans’ only source of points in the game.
“When only three girls score, it makes it pretty tough, because the other teams can focus on just three people,” Hiebert said. “We needed a couple girls to make a couple buckets. We had some opportunities and didn’t take advantage of it.”
Jefferson County North outscored Hillsboro 16-9 in the quarter, taking a five-point lead in the final minute. Bina made a three with two seconds left, then committed her final foul with less than a second left on the clock.
The Chargers made one free throw, winning 53-50.
Statistics
Maddie Duerksen, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Darcy Heinrichs, 4 rebounds; Danae Bina, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist; Alex Ratzlaff, 9 points, 4 rebounds; Addie Lackey, 26 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 2 steals; Courtney Troyer, 1 rebound.