Lady Trojans stumble against Hesston
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
The effort was there, but the shooting wasn't.
Although they played a tough game for a full 32 minutes, the Hillsboro High School girls' basketball team hit just 25.5 percent of their field goals and 29 percent of their free throws. They lost to the visiting Hesston Swathers, 50-31.
But the game was closer than the final score makes it seem. The Lady Trojans were within six points at the end of the third quarter, but they couldn't close the gap in the end.
Poor shooting wasn't the only problem. The Trojans also got into foul trouble early in the first half, sending Hesston to the line for points the Trojans couldn't match.
The loss give the Trojans their second league loss of the season, and their fourth loss overall. Their season record stands at 13-4.
Trojan fouls within the first two minutes of the first quarter seemed to foreshadow the team's future foul trouble. Shannon Kroeker gained two fouls early and was brought out of the game at the 6:40 mark.
The score stayed tight at 4-all for much of the first quarter, and a Kroeker jumper off the glass put Hillsboro up 6-4 with the lead — their first of the night.
Both teams went back and forth as the second quarter got underway, and with 1:50 to go in the half, the Trojans held onto a 12-11 lead.
The Trojans' shooting woes followed them into the third period, but they managed to stay close despite increased defensive pressure by Hesston. Strong inside play by Hesston's Megan Lamb and Sara Washburn kept the Trojans on their toes, and Hillsboro often had to resort to the foul to stop another drive.
With 3:02 left in the third period, the Swathers had pumped up their lead to 26-16. But a couple of three-point shots by Jill Hein and Hefley made it a 26-22 game going into the fourth quarter.
For the last four minutes of the game, Hillsboro would be outscored 11-4, sealing a 50-31 victory for Hesston.
Although she was disappointed in the final outcome of the game, Head Coach Becky Carlson still found things that encouraged her.
"I'm not disappointed in the things we wanted to do like execute our offense — we did a great job of that," Carlson said.
"We lost focus a couple of times and got beat back, but so did they. It was not how I wanted the game to come out, but the good thing is I see that the opportunity is there for us to beat them. They are not out of our league."
hesston 51, hillsboro 31
Jost 11, Penner 2, Hein 9, Thiessen 2, Hefley 5, Estelle 2. Totals 10-34, 3-17, 2-7, 31.
