Hillsboro smokes Smoky Valley
Staff writer
Hillsboro varsity girls took a while to warm up, but once they did they never slowed down, defeating Smoky Valley 55-30 Tuesday.
Both teams had several close shots in the first quarter, but the Lady Trojans finally scored first with 4:30 left in the quarter. Scores were tied at 4 points in the middle of the first quarter before Hillsboro pulled away after a six-point run. A 3-point shot by Smoky Valley closed the quarter with Hillsboro leading 10-7.
Tara Proffitt opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer from the far left and sent Hillsboro on a run that Smoky Valley would not recover from. Hillsboro scored 15 points to lead 25-9 at halftime.
The rest of the game went much like the second quarter. Alex Ratzlaff opened the third quarter with a layup within the first 30 seconds to begin an 8-point Trojan run, extending the lead to 35-9.
The Lady Trojans allowed Smoky Valley to score 10 points in the third quarter.
Allison Weber was able to break a scoring dry spell nearly halfway through the fourth quarter. Smoky Valley would have its best scoring quarter, adding 11 to its score, but still not enough to catch the Trojans. A pair of free throws by Smoky Valley closed the game with a Hillsboro win, 55-30.
Top shooting Lady Trojans were Addie Lackey with 17, Danae Bina with 12, and Alex Ratzlaff with 11.
Girls avenge loss by defeating Sterling
The Trojans stopped a three-game losing streak and avenged their first loss of the season Monday by defeating the Sterling Black Bears on the road.
Sterling led 13-8 after the first quarter. The second quarter was evenly matched, with both teams adding 18 points to go into halftime with Sterling leading 31-26.
The third quarter keyed the victory for Hillsboro, as they outscored Sterling to take a 45-39 lead. The fourth quarter was close, with Sterling outscoring Hillsboro by one, but the Trojans held on for a 62-57 victory.
Danae Bina led all scorers with 24 points. Addie Lackey added 16 points; Alex Ratzlaff, 8; Courtney Troyer, 6; and Darcy Heinrichs and Maddi Duerksen, 4 each.
Trojans get too sped up in loss
The girls’ matchup against Lyons on Friday was close for most of the game, with Hillsboro holding a lead as late as 36-32. However, the Lions’ pressure defense got the Trojans sped up and out of sync, leading to a 59-47 defeat.
Coach Nathan Hiebert said Hillsboro’s offense went well when the team stuck to its game plan, but they didn’t do that enough to win.
“We did exactly what they (Lyons) wanted,” he said. “We didn’t handle some of their pressure well.”
Lyons led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter. Hillsboro took a lead at 21-20 early in the second quarter and led most of the rest of the quarter until Lyons made a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to take a 30-29 lead.
Maddi Duerksen and Alex Ratzlaff hit jump shots to start the third quarter, taking a 34-30 lead. Lyons rallied, retaking the lead 39-36. The Lions led 43-40 at the end of the third quarter.
The Trojans struggled against Lyons’ full-court press in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Lyons made enough free throws to seal the 59-47 victory.
Hillsboro’s next games will be Friday at home against Hesston and Tuesday at Halstead.