Lady Indians win by 21 points over Blanchester
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
If an impromptu national anthem singing by Jim Butler was a sign of things to come Tuesday, then the Hillsboro Lady Indians stepped up their game and got the job done with a season-opening 53-32 win over the Blanchester Lady Wildcats.
Like Butler, who was there to sing the anthem with sore throat and all, the Lady Indians were there to get their season started off with a bit of flair as 13 players entered the scoring column, and every player contributed with hustle plays defensively with lots of scoring that hasn't been seen consistently by HHS in quite a few seasons.
The game belonged to HHS (1-0) after a strong first half as they held the visiting Lady 'Cats to a deficit of 24-8 following the first 16 minutes with a pressing defense that didn't make life very easy on the court for their opponents, including multiple steals by Kaylynn Bell.
As for Bell, she totaled 18 points to lead all players, as she was 7-of-10 from the free-throw line.
"It is nice to start the season with a win," HHS head coach JR Moberly said. "We made mention to the fact it has been a long time since the Lady Indians were 1-0, but we are focused on where they are going, not where we have been.
"The girls played well, and it's exciting to get a good win. They played hard, and to get a win in November is big for us. With all the practices and scrimmages, then games, November is a brutal month for basketball."
HHS lost to BHS by a score of 52-46 in their season opener one year ago, but in two of their four wins last year, the Lady Indians won by 25 points and 22 points.
The start of the game began with Bell scoring off two free throws, as she eventually scored the first four points of HHS. Madison Snyder (who totaled four points), Taylor Stanforth, Bell and Maranda Burns all totaled the first quarter scoring for HHS as they finished with a 10-4 lead after eight minutes.
Hillsboro's defense was still in full force in the second quarter as they, again, held BHS to a four-point quarter as they led by 16 points at halftime.
HHS opened the second with 10-0 run for a lead of 20-4 with 5:39 left in the half. In that run, Britney Bowen, Bell, Trista Rhodes and Hannah Kibler combined for the scoring in the run, with Kibler and Bell each scoring off a steal and layup.
Rhodes totaled six points, followed by Kibler with five and Bowen with four.
BHS (0-2) answered with four points, but HHS ended the half with a free throw by Bell, a layup from Rhodes and a free throw from Kibler.
[[In-content Ad]]
"We tried to mix things up a little bit," Moberly said. "This win came down to the girls' effort. We wanted to take away the long passes by Blanchester, and we did that with our rotating.
"All the kids played hard and have put in a lot of work. We still have a lot of work ahead, and we still want to improve on a lot of things. If we play like we did (Tuesday) with the effort and execution, I'll take that any game."
After the break, HHS outscored BHS 19-10 in the third, then scored 10 more points in the fourth frame, while BHS totaled 14.
For HHS in the third quarter, Bell started the scoring with a free-throw conversion, and later in the quarter, she stole the ball at mid-court and took the ball to the hoop with 6:31 left in the quarter for an HHS lead of 27-10.
Later, HHS scored six straight points from Snyder, Taylor Moberly and Rhodes.
From the 3:20 mark to the end of the third, HHS outscored BHS, 8-2 with points by Bell (including a 3-pointer), Alyssa Sullivan and Kibler off a pass by Stanforth.
Scoring for HHS in the fourth were Faith Middleton, Snyder, Burns, Kirsten Juillerat and Tyeika Cumberland. Also making plays on the defensive side was Mariah Burns in the final frame.
At the free-throw line, HHS finished the game 12-of-27. For BHS, Cassidy Jennett led with 12 points, while Sydney Doughman followed with 10 and Emma Farrow with seven.
HHS will play again on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Clinton-Massie.
In JV play, HHS defeated Blanchester 26-21. Leading HHS in scoring was Middleton with eight points, followed by Juillerat with seven and Cumberland with seven. Also scoring for HHS was Sullivan with four. Leading BHS in scoring was Cierra White with 13 points.
Like Butler, who was there to sing the anthem with sore throat and all, the Lady Indians were there to get their season started off with a bit of flair as 13 players entered the scoring column, and every player contributed with hustle plays defensively with lots of scoring that hasn't been seen consistently by HHS in quite a few seasons.
The game belonged to HHS (1-0) after a strong first half as they held the visiting Lady 'Cats to a deficit of 24-8 following the first 16 minutes with a pressing defense that didn't make life very easy on the court for their opponents, including multiple steals by Kaylynn Bell.
As for Bell, she totaled 18 points to lead all players, as she was 7-of-10 from the free-throw line.
"It is nice to start the season with a win," HHS head coach JR Moberly said. "We made mention to the fact it has been a long time since the Lady Indians were 1-0, but we are focused on where they are going, not where we have been.
"The girls played well, and it's exciting to get a good win. They played hard, and to get a win in November is big for us. With all the practices and scrimmages, then games, November is a brutal month for basketball."
HHS lost to BHS by a score of 52-46 in their season opener one year ago, but in two of their four wins last year, the Lady Indians won by 25 points and 22 points.
The start of the game began with Bell scoring off two free throws, as she eventually scored the first four points of HHS. Madison Snyder (who totaled four points), Taylor Stanforth, Bell and Maranda Burns all totaled the first quarter scoring for HHS as they finished with a 10-4 lead after eight minutes.
Hillsboro's defense was still in full force in the second quarter as they, again, held BHS to a four-point quarter as they led by 16 points at halftime.
HHS opened the second with 10-0 run for a lead of 20-4 with 5:39 left in the half. In that run, Britney Bowen, Bell, Trista Rhodes and Hannah Kibler combined for the scoring in the run, with Kibler and Bell each scoring off a steal and layup.
Rhodes totaled six points, followed by Kibler with five and Bowen with four.
BHS (0-2) answered with four points, but HHS ended the half with a free throw by Bell, a layup from Rhodes and a free throw from Kibler.
[[In-content Ad]]
"We tried to mix things up a little bit," Moberly said. "This win came down to the girls' effort. We wanted to take away the long passes by Blanchester, and we did that with our rotating.
"All the kids played hard and have put in a lot of work. We still have a lot of work ahead, and we still want to improve on a lot of things. If we play like we did (Tuesday) with the effort and execution, I'll take that any game."
After the break, HHS outscored BHS 19-10 in the third, then scored 10 more points in the fourth frame, while BHS totaled 14.
For HHS in the third quarter, Bell started the scoring with a free-throw conversion, and later in the quarter, she stole the ball at mid-court and took the ball to the hoop with 6:31 left in the quarter for an HHS lead of 27-10.
Later, HHS scored six straight points from Snyder, Taylor Moberly and Rhodes.
From the 3:20 mark to the end of the third, HHS outscored BHS, 8-2 with points by Bell (including a 3-pointer), Alyssa Sullivan and Kibler off a pass by Stanforth.
Scoring for HHS in the fourth were Faith Middleton, Snyder, Burns, Kirsten Juillerat and Tyeika Cumberland. Also making plays on the defensive side was Mariah Burns in the final frame.
At the free-throw line, HHS finished the game 12-of-27. For BHS, Cassidy Jennett led with 12 points, while Sydney Doughman followed with 10 and Emma Farrow with seven.
HHS will play again on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Clinton-Massie.
In JV play, HHS defeated Blanchester 26-21. Leading HHS in scoring was Middleton with eight points, followed by Juillerat with seven and Cumberland with seven. Also scoring for HHS was Sullivan with four. Leading BHS in scoring was Cierra White with 13 points.