Huskies fall to Kokomo

The REPORTER

Hamilton Heights girls basketball is in rebuilding mode this season, but the foundation seems to be getting stronger for the Huskies.

Last week, Heights picked up its first two wins of the season, beating new Hoosier Conference opponent Logansport in an East Division game. The Huskies followed that up with a close win over West Lafayette. Both those wins were at home, and the Huskies finished their three-game homestand Tuesday by falling to Kokomo 58-37.

The Wildkats led 14-4 after the first quarter, but the Huskies came back in the second period, cutting Kokomo’s lead to 21-18 by halftime. Freshman Sarah Sherrill had eight first-half points, while senior Katie Brown scored seven in the second quarter.

The Wildkats took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Heights 24-6. Brown and Sherrill were the leading scorers for the game, as each totaled 12 points.

New roles

After the game, first-year Huskies coach Erin Trimpe talked about the team and how the players are “stepping up into new roles.”

“We are starting two freshmen, two sophomores and a senior,” said Trimpe. “We’re throwing kids into things and asking them to do things that they’ve never done before. And so the development from all of them has been really, really impressive to me.”

Trimpe said that at the beginning of the season, she talked to Brown, the lone senior on the team.

“I’ve never had to be that leader before,” Brown told Trimpe. “I’ve always been the younger one who followed a really solid group of seniors, so what can I do to help?”

“She and I talk quite a bit about leadership and what she can do,” said Trimpe. “She’s just shown a lot of growth in that and it’s made a huge difference on and off the court for our team.”

Sherrill, a 6-foot freshman, has already provided some good minutes for the Huskies. Trimpe told Sherrill after the game that it was the best game she’s played from a full-game standpoint.”

“She’s come such a long way,” said Trimpe. “She has worked a lot with our assistant coach Stephanie Hoane on just getting solid in her post moves and being a little bit balanced. Obviously she’s got great size and she’s got great hands, it’s just those back to basket moves and she’s dedicated a lot of time to practice, and her growth and her development over the past couple weeks has been a lot of fun to see.”

Trimpe also mentioned Presley Cherry as someone that’s done well so far, hitting shots and helping out Brown with the ball-handling. Reece Blanton, at 5-4, has become the team’s leading rebounder; Trimpe said “she knows how to get her body in there and just play through everything.”

The Huskies are 2-10 for the season and play at Blackford on Saturday. Heights will travel to a one-day tournament at Waldron next Friday.