HILLSBORO: Lady Trojans lose heartbreaker to Eagles
Two foul shots.
In the last second of the game.
That's all it took for the hosting Ellinwood Eagles to gain a win over the Hillsboro girls' basketball team Tuesday night.
In a heartbreaking loss for the Lady Trojans, MCAA foe Ellinwood came away with the 40-39 win.
The first half of the game saw both teams starting slow, but eventually Ellinwood crept out ahead.
By the second half, Hillsboro was back in the game, utilizing Katie Fast down low and capitalizing on Ellinwood turnovers.
For the last few minutes of the game, both teams traded leads. But the crucial moment came when Amy Duerksen was fouled.
Duerksen went to the foul line and made one of two shots, giving Hillsboro a 39-38 lead with just a few seconds remaining.
But on Ellinwood's next possession, Eagle Keri Wise drove the ball under the basket. That's where referees called a foul on Fast, and that foul sent Wise to the free-throw line for two shots.
Wise made them both, clinching the 40-39 win for the Eagles.
The Lady Trojans weren't in their game during the first half, but by the second half they were a completely different team, said head coach Becky Carlson. But by that point, the team was playing catch-sup.
The Trojans faced a tough full-court press the entire game, which couldn't have been easy for the five starters who never left the game once.
But by the end of the game, the girls still had good stamina, Carlson said.
"They played hard, with a lot of heart," Carlson said.
Junior Katie Fast had an outstanding game, scoring 18 points while going six of nine from the field and six of eight from the free-throw line. She also grabbed two steals and six rebounds and had eight blocks.
Salina Central
Any time you play a 5A squad, you know it's going to be a tough night.
Combine that with one-for-seven shooting from the free-throw line, and the situation gets even bleaker.
Despite those two obstacles, the Hillsboro girls' basketball team managed a tough game against visiting Salina Central on Friday night, ultimately losing to the Mustangs 41-31.
Central got its lead in the first half, where the Mustangs outscored the Trojans by ten and took a 27-17 lead into the second half.
The final two quarters found the teams playing a much more evenly matched game — both scored 14 each in the second half.
Hillsboro looked to narrow the gap after halftime. A two by Fast brought the score to 27-19. Then Fast's hook shot narrowed the gap to 31-25. Central took that lead into the fourth quarter.
Soon, another Hillsboro basket got the Trojans within four points, 31-27.
But just as the momentum started swinging Hillsboro's way, Duerksen missed two foul shots and at the other end of the court a Central player made a shot as she was fouled. That two-point shot, plus the subsequent foul shot, boosted Central's lead back up to 34-29.
Hillsboro wouldn't come any closer. With 1:44 remaining in the game they were down 38-31, eventually losing 41-31.
Lead scorer for the game was April Funk with 12. Fast scored eight, and Emily Ratzlaff added seven.
