The REPORTER
The Hamilton Heights girls basketball team won its fourth consecutive sectional championship last Saturday, beating Jay County 37-36 last Saturday in the final game of Class 3A Sectional 24 at Yorktown.
The Patriots got an early lead on the 3A No. 1 Huskies, going up 17-9 after one quarter. Heights responded by outscoring Jay County 15-4 in the second period, which put the Huskies up 24-21 at halftime.
Camryn Runner scored 15 points in the first half, then scored all 13 of Heights’ points in the second half. The Patriots outscored the Huskies by one point in both the third and fourth quarters, but Heights’ defense allowed them to get no closer. Huskies coach Keegan Cherry said Ella Hickok and Kennedy Cherry “were great defensively,” and said Hadleigh Cherry did a “great job handling the ball late.”
Runner finished the game with 28 points.
Heights is 23-2 and plays Woodlan in the Regional 11 championship on Saturday. The time and place of the game was set by the IHSAA last Sunday, after the Reporter’s press time, but it is available on our website, readthereporter.com.
Earlier games
The Huskies began their sectional run with a 64-9 victory over New Castle last Wednesday in a first-round game.
Heights led 17-4 after one quarter. Runner scored seven points, while Katie Brown added five, including the first of her three 3-pointers.
The Huskies accelerated through the other three quarters, never allowing the Trojans more than two points in a period for the remainder of the game. At one point, Heights went on a 30-0 run that bridged halftime. The Huskies scored the first 12 points of that run in the second quarter, leading 34-6 at halftime.
Heights scored 18 straight points to begin the third period until New Castle made a free throw with 2:07 left in the quarter. The Huskies led 56-7 at the end of the third.
Seven different players scored for Heights. Runner finished with 19, while Hickok had 16 points. Brown totaled 11. Hadleigh Cherry had a solid game with seven points.
Heights cruised into the championship game by beating Frankton 53-23 last Friday in the semifinals.
The Huskies outscored Yorktown in each of the four quarters. Brown hit two 3-pointers in the first period to help Heights to a 10-3 lead. Runner took over with eight points in the second quarter, as the Huskies led 29-13 at halftime. Heights’ defense held the Eagles to 10 points in the second half – five points each in the third and fourth quarters. Hickok nailed a pair of 3s in the third period.
Runner finished the game with 19 points. Hickok and Brown both had three 3s and finished with 11 points each. Hadleigh Cherry scored eight points, all in the first half.