Highland girls defeat Belleville East before getting eliminated from Mascoutah tourney
A day after losing to Okawville 49-29 to start the Mascoutah Invitational Tournament, the Highland Lady Bulldogs bounced back to roll past Belleville East 52-28 on Tuesday, Dec. 28.
However, fellow Mississippi Valley Conference foe Mascoutah eliminated HHS from the tournament later that evening.
The Lady Bulldogs opened the afternoon game against East slowly but a 17-4 second-quarter run catapulted them to a 21-7 halftime lead.
“We got a nice little run going in the second quarter that allowed us to take control (of the game),” Highland coach Clint Hamilton said.
A 9-0 run to start the third quarter put the game away for HHS as Hamilton cleared his bench for the fourth quarter.
Larissa Taylor led the Lady Bulldogs with 13 points while Grace Wilke and Abby Schultz added 9 points each. Sophia Fleming chipped in 8 points.
Later that evening, Highland faced a decidedly stiffer test against host Mascoutah in the consolation semifinals.
HHS gave the Indians and standout junior post-Sophia Loden all they wanted for just over three quarters but ran out of gas down the stretch and ultimately lost 52-42.
“We made five free throws in the fourth quarter, but we only had one field goal, so we just couldn’t make any baskets to go on a run,” Hamilton said. “It wasn’t a big turnover night for us and we got looks, but we just weren’t making them.”
The Lady Bulldogs utilized a strong defensive effort to trail just 12-8 after the first quarter and battled Mascoutah (9-7) to a 20-20 halftime tie.
Behind big shots from Abby Huelsmann and Wilke, Highland surged ahead of the Indians 34-32 entering the fourth quarter.
However, Mascoutah, behind some stout defense and the assertive offensive play of Loden, got rolling in the fourth quarter. Loden, who was held to just eight points in the first half, exploded for 20 points in the final 16 minutes for a game-high 28 points.
“In the second half, she finally got to the foul line like 12 times and she kind of just wore us down. We kept rotating people onto her, but she did a nice job,” Hamilton said.
Huelsmann led HHS with 14 points. Wilke scored 9 points, while Taylor added 8 points and Addison Crask posted 7 points.
Highland progressing; next up is Waterloo
Despite a 5-14 mark, Hamilton believes Highland is improving and drawing closer to being a 32-minute-a-game club.
“A little bit of that has to do with our depth because we can’t run as many kids out there so we start to wear down a little bit in the fourth quarter,” Hamilton said. “But we’re finding a way to compete and that’s good to see. We’re in games and giving ourselves a chance so we’re growing and hopefully we take the next step forward.”
Highland returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, with an MVC road game against Waterloo.
Highland wrestling update
The Highland wrestling team ventured north to Lincoln High School on Wednesday, Dec. 29, and Thursday, Dec. 30, and competed in the Lincoln Holiday Tournament at Lincoln High School in Lincoln.
It was a productive trip for the Bulldogs as HHS placed 14th overall in the 29-team tournament field. Junior Ben Mitchell led the way for the Bulldogs as he took second place in the 160-pound class.
Tyson Rakers also placed in the top-10 as he turned in a ninth-place finish at 132 pounds. Ashton Zobrist had another solid showing in the upper weight classes, finishing ninth in the 195-pound division.
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 1:19 AM.