In the team’s 48-38 loss to Fox, the Warriors used a 16-6 opening quarter to gain momentum. Hillsboro’s offense would struggle to catch fire, scoring just four points in the second quarter and face a 26-10 deficit heading into the break.
“We came out pretty well and stayed with them the first few minutes, but then we got a little out of control and their pressure caused us to turn it over a few times” said Hillsboro head coach Andrew Hubbard. “Defensively I thought we really gave a lot of effort and did a lot of little things well, rebounding, getting loose balls and moving our feet. We did struggle finishing in the first half and missed some shots inside and I felt we were rushing a little bit.”
The Warrior’s Aubrey Andrews did the most damage to the Hawks defense, scoring a game-high 20 points while Angelina Friedman added in 10 points.
Hillsboro’s offense finally got into a rhythm in the second half, scoring 16 points in the third quarter and cutting their deficit to 45-26 heading into the final eight minutes of the game. While their offense continued to shine, the Hawks defense ignited; Fox would be held to just three fourth quarter points. While Hillsboro did all they could to make a comeback, the Warrior’s lead from the first half held and handed the Hawks the 48-38 loss.
Hillsboro’s Kayla VanHorn thought the Hawks played well against the Warrior’s aggressiveness saying, “Fox was very aggressive, and that is something our team is going to have to get used to when playing in games. Overall, I think our team did great, and I can’t wait to see what the season holds for us.”
“The second half I thought we did a great job settling down and didn’t force things as much. In the second half I thought we did a good job of keeping our heads up when breaking their pressure and it led to easy baskets for us. I thought we wore them down and by the 4th quarter it seemed as though Fox was getting tired and we were able to make a run in the 4th quarter. I was very proud of my girls. They kept pushing and working hard and that was what I was wanting to see from them” explained Coach Hubbard.
Kayla VanHorn led the way for the Hawks with 12 points on 5-6 shooting while Sophia Horrell chipped in nine points.
The JV team walked away with a win over Fox, getting 10 points from Riley Kruse in the 47-30 win.
“The girls played really well from start to finish. We came out and got up quick but then Fox went on a run to end the 1st quarter. In the second I thought our depth started to wear them down and we applied a ton of pressure. Our girls did a great job on the defensive end and we were able to have our defense get us some easy baskets. We did a great job on offense sharing the ball and getting everyone involved which made it tough when deciding who to stop. The second half we came out strong and really pushed the pace getting up and down the floor quickly. I was very proud of the girls for competing the entire game and continuing to push and not letting up” said Coach Hubbard.
The Hawks, who had nine players score in the game, got nine points from Kaylee Hilton, seven from Avery Vaughn, and six from Chloe Hicks.
Hillsboro then faced a tough Perryville (3-2) team on Monday. While Dyllan Day and Sophia Horrell shined for the Hawks, Perryville would ultimately come away with the 72-57 win.
“I think we played well against both teams. Although we had lost against Perryville, we still stayed with them the whole time and put a lot of effort in” said Kayla VanHorn. While she had a quiet night against the Pirates, she still produced an impressive stat line of six points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Dyllan Day led the way for the Hawks with 16 points while going 5-9 from the field and shooting 6-8 from the charity stripe. But she was not to be outdone by Zoe Wood who had 16 of her own and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the stripe. Sophia Horrell was right behind them with 10 points and picking up four rebounds, while Kaylee Hilton chipped in seven points and grabbed a team high 12 rebounds and dished out eight assists.
