Highland girls basketball team drops heartbreaker to Civic Memorial in MVC clash
Highland girls basketball coach Clint Hamilton had the play the Lady Bulldogs wanted at the end of the night against Civic Memorial — it just didn’t quite work out.
An Ashlyn Klucker steal in the final minute of play gave Highland the ball, and the Lady Bulldogs called time to set up a play. Out of the timeout, the ball was to go to Megan Kronk off of a screen. Kronk came off the screen but got tangled up with another player, stumbled to the floor and the pass sailed by her and off the court.
Civic Memorial knocked down a free-throw with just under 10 seconds left and Ellie Brown’s shot at the buzzer did not fall as Highland lost a heartbreaker to the Eagles 37-34 in an Mississippi Valley Conference clash Thursday.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Highland (15-6, 4-2) which lost to CM on Dec. 18 at home 51-46. The win over the Lady Bulldogs puts the Eagles in the driver’s seat in the conference race with four games left to play.
“We had some chances and we ended up getting to 37-34, but we just seem to give up offensive rebounds in big games and you can’t do that and win those games,” Hamilton said. “Offensive rebounds and missing a couple of one and ones at the end (cost us) there.”
Another tough challenge for HHS was finding a way to contain Anna Hall. A 5-11 senior forward, Hall pumped in a team-high 12 points. Courtland Tyus added nine points.
Civic Memorial (19-2, 6-0) led by two and the end of the first quarter and 21-17 at halftime.
Despite trailing for the first two-plus quarters, HHS pulled ahead by five points thanks to some timely scoring from Kronk and LaPorta and were still in a position to knock off the Eagles at the end of the third quarter.
“We tied it up at the end of the third and it was all square at 30-30 going into the fourth quarter,” Hamilton said.
Highland has one last chance at the end
The Lady Bulldogs stayed close in the final eight minutes and had a chance in the last moments, but luck conspired against them.
“We got exactly what we wanted on the last play with about 10 seconds left and we had Megan coming off the screen and she just got her feet tangled up with one of the girls and fell down and nobody was there to catch the ball and we had a turnover,” Hamilton said. “She, unfortunately, got her feet tangled up. It’s kind of frustrating that it ends with one of our players tripping and falling but that’s basketball.”
Kronk led Highland with 12 points. Brown had seven points, Taylor Kesner had six and LaPorta finished with five points.
Highland will get a chance to bounce back quickly at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, when they host Okawaville in the first round of the 34th annual Scott Credit Union Highland Tournament.