The REPORTER
Hamilton Heights saw its season come to an end last Saturday, as the Class 3A No. 1 Huskies fell to 3A No. 2 Norwell 64-50 in the semifinals of the Huntington North semi-state.
The Knights got up on the Huskies early, scoring the first 11 points of the game. Heights went on an 8-0 run to cut Norwell’s lead to three, with 3:02 left in the opening quarter.
But after that, the Knights’ Kennedy Fuelling took over. Fuelling scored 12 points of a 20-6 spurt by Norwell that gave the Knights a 31-14 lead at the 2:20 mark of the second period. Norwell eventually led 39-19 at halftime.
“We lost personnel early,” said Huskies coach Keegan Cherry. “They didn’t miss and we spotted them 20. They’re too good to try to come back from that.”
Heights did try to come back, however. Senior Camryn Runner took over in the third quarter, pouring in 13 points. A 3-pointer by Ella Hickock got the Huskies within 44-35, and Hickok made a layin to finish the third quarter and keep Heights in striking distance, at 47-37.
Norwell opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run; Fuelling scored the first five points of that spurt. She would finish the game with 30 points.
“They were good today,” said Cherry. “It wasn’t our best, but Norwell’s a really good team. And our margin for error is almost nil.”
Runner finished the game with 26 points. The University of Evansville-bound senior finished her career with 1,962 points, making her Hamilton County’s all-time leading girls scorer. Hickok, Kassidy Schakel and Hadleigh Cherry were the other seniors on the Heights team that rung up a school record 24 wins against only three losses.
“They left their mark, left their legacy at Hamilton Heights, that’s for sure,” said Keegan Cherry.