Hillsboro battles to season-opening OT win over Athens

HILLSBORO — Overcoming a six-point halftime deficit, and trailing by three points after three quarters, the Hillsboro Lady Indians eventually gained their season-opening victory Saturday afternoon, defeating the Athens Lady Bulldogs, 61-57 in overtime. 

The win at Hillsboro High School to start the 2025-26 season saw HHS lead 15-14 when the first quarter came to a close, but the home team trailed 27-21 at halftime after being outscored 13-6 in the second quarter. 

HHS won the third frame at 14-11, but still trailed entering the fourth frame at 38-35, and in the fourth frame the Lady Indians outscored Athens 13-10, sending the game into overtime. 

“They (Athens) made six threes in the first half, and they shot phenomenally. They shot well, but to be honest, we weren’t aggressive enough on the defensive end, and that’s what we talked about at halftime,” HHS head coach Heather Storer said. “We knew we had to be more aggressive and act like we know what we are doing, and to be ready to play because it is real time, and it’s not a scrimmage anymore. We don’t have time to take breaks, and we didn’t in the second half. 

“Being able to take away their shooters in the second half and them going a little bit cold in the second half definitely helped, but our defense was much better in the second half.”

Before the OT, the fourth frame for Hillsboro saw them score first with a basket by sophomore Piper Wilkin (who totaled four points, three rebounds and three assists), but that basket was answered with a free throw from junior Lex Koopal for a 39-37 Athens advantage with 7:09 left in the quarter as Koopal finished with 13 points.

Junior Tylee Davis — who led the Lady Indians with 23 points, plus earning a double-double with 10 rebounds — tied the score at 39 with a layup at the 5:47 mark. Davis also added one assist and one block. 

With 4:30 left in regulation, it was a three-point play from Taylor-Ann Scruggs, as the sophomore gave the Lady Indians the spark they needed off the bench, making a layup while being fouled, then sinking the ensuing free throw, putting Hillsboro ahead 44-41. Scruggs finished the game with seven points, five rebounds, one assist and one block. 

After Athens answered with a basket, and later called a timeout, the Lady Indians built a five-point lead with a put-back basket by Scruggs, followed by a steal and layup by Davis with 2:27 on the clock for a 46-41 score. 

Athens didn’t back down, cutting Hillsboro’s lead to two points with a 3-pointer from senior Ella Chapman, but after HHS regained possession of the ball off a turnover, Davis sank two free throws for a four-point advantage. With 1:26 remaining in regulation, Athens senior Olivia Smart made a layup, and then they forced overtime with a basket by Koopal with .24 seconds left for a 48-48 score. 

When overtime arrived, the game became even more intense with the Lady Indians striking first as sophomore Ella Jordan drained a 3-pointer, only to be answered with a 3-pointer by Athens’ Chapman for a 51-51 score with 3:08 left in the OT. Jordan finished with seven points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. 

After a free throw made by Hillsboro junior Annia Young, Athens took back the lead with two free throws of their own by Chapman. Young grabbed back the lead for the Lady Indians with a layup, but the lead exchanged hands again with 1:41 on the overtime clock. Young ended the game with 10 points, seven rebounds, one assist and three blocks. 

Eventually, Hillsboro tied the score at 55 when senior Kobie Miles made a free throw at the 1:31 mark of OT, as Miles finished the win with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

Athens came back with a one-point lead, but Miles tied the score with a made free throw, and Scruggs put Hillsboro in front with two converted free throws after being fouled for a 58-56 score. 

HHS increased their lead to three points with a free throw from Davis. The rest of the game came down to free throws as Athens made one more, and HHS had two made by Davis for the final score and four-point win. 

“I’ll be really honest, with the team that I had last year, I don’t know whether we pull that out,” Storer said when asked about last year’s team to this year’s. “We had four close games last year and we couldn’t finish any of them, and these kids that are in the locker room, these 10, you can’t ask for anything else. Our slogan is ‘All In,” and that’s what these kids are … they are all in for each other. We’ve got a small, mighty group of 10, and I’m telling you, every one of them wants to be here every night, and you can’t ask for anything better. Those are kids who are going to pull out games like this when it matters. I have all the confidence in the world in these girls.”

Hillsboro in their first quarter had a 3-pointer from Jordan, eight points by Davis (including a 3-pointer) and four points off two baskets by Young. The second frame for the Lady Indians saw Jordan make a free throw, Davis score two points, Wilkin make a two-point basket and Young sink a free throw. 

Also in the game, freshman Parker Wilkin of Hillsboro had an assist. As a team, the Lady Indians totaled 31 rebounds (10 offensive), 11 assists, two steals and six blocks. 

Next for Hillsboro is a non-conference game on Wednesday, Nov. 26 on the road at Goshen. In the JV game on Saturday, Hillsboro defeated Athens, 14-0 in two quarters. 

BOX SCORE
AHS    14 13 11 10 (09) — 57
HHS    15 06 14 13 (13) — 61

HILLSBORO (61) — E.Jordan 0 (2) 1-2 7, K.Miles 1 (2) 2-4 10, T.Davis 5 (2) 7-9 23, Pi.Wilkin 2 (0) 0-3 4, T.Scruggs 2 (0) 3-4 7, A.Young 4 (0) 2-4 10. TOTALS: 14 (6) 15-26 61.

ATHENS (57) — E.Chapman 1 (2) 4-6 12, B.Stump 2 (4) 0-2 16, O.Smart 3 (1) 1-2 10, L.Koopal 5 (0) 3-8 13, F.Sigman 0 (2) 0-0 6. TOTALS: 11 (9) 8-18 57.