32-point pummeling lifts Hillsboro girls to semifinal game years ago
You probably won't hear Lady Trojan Dale Honeck complaining about not having to see the Halstead Lady Dragons again this year.
Not because the Dragons have been a pest for the MCAA co-champion Trojans, but because it's too difficult to gauge whether Hillsboro is playing good, or not.
Even with a 56-24 blasting of the Dragons Monday night in the first round of the Halstead sub-state, Honeck stressed there's a lot of room for improvement if the Trojans are going to beat a quality opponent.
"We did not play a good game tonight," Honeck said. "We did the little things that will hurt us against a good team. We've got to think better on the court and we've got some things to work on if we're going to advance past this tournament. That's my bottom line."
Hillsboro (18-3) faces the winner of the Lyons-Hutchinson Trinity game at 6 p.m. Thursday in Halstead in the semifinal game.
If any team knows the recipe for a disastrous game against the Trojans, it's the Dragons.
They might have been wondering if they weren't watching a replay of the Feb. 16 game when the Trojans beat them by a near- identical 54-21 score.
There was the rough start again Monday with the Trojans missing six of their first eight shots while Halstead briefly lead 4-2.
But the stampede was just beginning as Hannah Marsh sank a three to breaking the 4-4 tie, allowing Hillsboro to push its lead to 11-6 after the first quarter.
The Trojans again broke the game open the second quarter, outscoring Halstead, 20-4, to take a commanding 31-10 lead at halftime.
The Dragons turned the ball over 20 times while making just 9-of-37 from the floor. Even the free-throw line was an enemy as the Dragons hit a paltry 5-for-18.
Lora Andrews lead the charge for the Trojans with 10 points as Hillsboro finished 21-for-52 from the field and 11-of-16 at the free-throw line, while shooting 38 percent from outside.
