Girls take second at SES tourney
Hillsboro upsets No. 1 seed SES
en route to the final round
There was no doubt about it: The Lady Trojans were exhausted.
Playing 32 backbreaking minutes against a 5A school — and last year's tournament champion, at that — was enough to tire anyone.
But even though Hillsboro's defense held their foes to just two points in the first quarter, it couldn't hold back the flood in the second half. The Lady Trojans lost to Salina South 39-21 Friday night in the championship game of the Southeast of Saline Invitational.
The first quarter saw both teams locked in a fierce defensive battle. Hillsboro opened up the scoring first with a two by Emily Ratzlaff, then South tied it up at two on the next possession.
Amy Duerksen was Hillsboro's next scorer — and she proved to be the team's final scorer for the rest of the quarter. The Trojans' defense kept South to the perimeter, but drives to the hoop by April Funk couldn't create much either for the Trojans.
The first quarter ended with Hillsboro leading 4-2.
Both teams regained their offensive firepower in the second quarter. South opened up with a shot and a foul, and although they missed the foul shot, they tied the game at 4-4. A minute later, with 6:30 to go, they took the 6-4 lead at that same foul line.
Ratzlaff's drive inside tied things up again at six, but South again commandeered the lead, thanks in part to aggressive drives yielding fouls. With four minutes remaining in the half, they led 9-6.
Ratzlaff again brought Hillsboro back, tying the game at 9-9 with a nothing-but-net three. But by the end of the quarter, South had a four-point lead. They led 15-11 going into halftime.
South's three-point shooting capabilities re-emerged in the third quarter. At 5:11, they held an 18-13 lead, but a couple threes later and that lead was up to 24-15. Combine that with Hillsboro's inability to hit foul shots, and South had a 25-15 lead at the end of the third.
But the Trojans weren't giving up so easily. As the fourth quarter began, Katie Fast's inside shot narrowed the lead to 25-17. Hillsboro continued to scrap on defense, even flying into the bench on occasion.
However, South's continued shots from behind the arc were just too much for the Trojans to overcome. They lost 39-21.
Fast was the team's leading scorer and rebounder for the game. She had eight points and 10 rebounds, with one steal. Ratzlaff had seven points, two steals, one assist, and one rebound, and Charity Davis had four assists, two points, and three rebounds.
In addition to taking home the second-place plaque, the Trojans also got two individual honors. Davis and Fast were named to the all-tournament team.
SOUTH 39, hILLSBORO 21
Total points: Fast 8, Ratzlaff 7, Davis 2, Duerksen 2, Funk 2.
Rebounds: Fast 10, Funk 4, Davis 3, Duerksen 2, Ratzlaff 1.
Steals: Ratzlaff 2, Fast 1.
Assists: Davis 4, Funk 1, Ratzlaff 1.
Southeast of Saline
Going into Thursday night's semifinal game, the Lady Trojans were up against hosting Southeast of Saline.
That meant a No. 1 seed. A team that had only lost one game this season. A loud home crowd.
Hillsboro beat them anyway.
In a game that saw four Trojans scoring 10 points or more, Hillsboro defeated Southeast of Saline 49-42.
The Trojans went 59 percent from the floor and 74 percent from the free-throw line to defeat SES on their home court.
Funk was the team's lead scorer with 16 points. She made four of five field goals, including one three-pointer, and seven of eight foul shots. Funk also added four assists, two steals, and three rebounds.
Fast dominated the boards, grabbing 14 rebounds while also adding 11 points. Davis scored 13 with two steals, one assist, and three rebounds, and Duerksen added eight points, one steal, and five rebounds.
hillsboro 49, SES 42
Total points: Funk 16, Davis 13, Fast 11, Duerksen 8, Ratzlaff 1.
Rebounds: Fast 14, Duerksen 5, Davis 3, Funk 3, Ratzlaff 2.
Steals: Ratzlaff 2, Fast 2, Funk 2, Davis 2, Duerksen 1.
Assists: Funk 4, Ratzlaff 2, Fast 1, Davis 1.
Nickerson
After a tough week at the Southeast of Saline tourney, the Lady Trojans returned to MCAA action Tuesday night at Nickerson.
Hillsboro drove out to a huge lead early but were unable to hold on to it. Still, they won by an eight-point margin, 41-33.
Fast was out in full-force, nearly tallying a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and nine blocks.
The team plays Ellinwood at home on Friday.
HILLSBORO 41, NICKERSON 33
Total points: Fast 15, Funk 9, Davis 7, Duerksen 5, Ratzlaff 3, Hamm 2.
Rebounds: Fast 10, Funk 5, Duerksen 5, Davis 2, Ratzlaff 2.
Steals: Fast 1, Davis 1.
Assists: Davis 4, Funk 2, Duerksen 1, Hamm 1.
Blocks: Fast 9, Davis 1.
