By RICHIE HALL
ARCADIA – Whatever challenges the Hamilton Heights girls basketball team has had to face this season, the Huskies have conquered them all.
Get their talented freshmen to immediately make an impact? Check. Shake off a two-week shutdown? Done. Win five games in four days? No sweat.
Now Heights can add “Beat a good potential sectional opponent” to the list. The Huskies got off to a scorching start against Winchester in the first quarter, then let that big lead carry them through to a 64-37 win over the Falcons, a team which came into the Heights gym with a 6-1 record.
With the victory, the Huskies are 10-0 for the season. This makes Heights one of only six teams in the state – in any class – to hold an unbeaten record going into the New Year. And this 10th win was important because the Huskies could face Winchester in a few weeks at the New Castle sectional.
“We had put in a lot of time on Winchester,” said Heights coach Keegan Cherry. “That’s a sectional opponent. They’re very well-coached and they have players that can make plays. They’ll try to jump defense you with their Triangle-and-two, and we’ve put in a couple of actions to counter that, and our girls just executed really well there in the first quarter.”
That first quarter may have been one of the best eight minutes of basketball any team has played this season. The Huskies scored the first 19 points of the game, with all five of their starters scoring at least one point. Freshman Ella Hickok had eight of those points, including two 3-pointers. MyKayla Moran and Sydney Runyan each scored four points.
Winchester finally got on the board with less than a minute to play in the period. But 3s from Runyan and Camryn Runner gave Heights a 25-4 lead once the quarter ended.
“We shot it really well and that always covers up things,” said Cherry. “But then you shoot it like that, it makes my job pretty easy.”
For the next three quarters, the Huskies kept their lead around 20 points. Any time the Falcons tried to get a run going, Heights would quickly answer. In the second quarter, the Huskies made two 6-0 stretches.
The first run came early in the period, with Runner scoring on a putback, then immediately making a steal and scoring. Hickok followed that up with a quick steal and score. Later, Runner and Jillian Osswald drained 3s for a fast 6-0 run to put Heights up 37-12.
Winchester cut the lead to 39-20 by halftime, but the Huskies stayed in control in the second half. Runner scored eight more points, including two additional triples, and Kaylee Rhoton got in on the act with two 3s of her own.
Runyan helped out with two third-quarter baskets. Cherry said he “was really proud” of Runyan’s performance in the game.
“She’s such a role player, such a team player that if they’re not going to guard her, she can make the basket,” said Cherry. “And tonight, they didn’t want to guard her and she took advantage of that opportunity.”
Cherry said the things Runyan does to help the Heights team go “completely unnoticed.”
“She’s the screener, she’s doing all the little things to help us win, and I’m happy for her tonight that her efforts paid off and she scored, I think, 11 and was able to help us win,” said Cherry.
Runyan did finish with 11 points, one of four Huskies in double figures. Runner finished the game with 22 points, while Hickok and Moran both added 10. Heights totaled 10 3-pointers in all, with Runner making four.
Heights is back on the road Thursday, when it travels to Lewis Cass for a Hoosier Conference East Division game.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 63, WINCHESTER 37
Heights FG FT TP PF
Ella Hickok 4 0-0 10 2
Jillian Osswald 1 1-3 4 4
Camryn Runner 9 0-0 22 3
Sydney Runyan 5 0-0 11 2
MyKayla Moran 2 6-10 10 2
Hadleigh Cherry 0 0-1 0 1
Kaylee Rhoton 2 0-0 6 0
Raechel Hunter 0 0-0 0 0
Morgan Ottinger 0 0-0 0 0
Alayna Baber 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 23 7-14 63 14
Score by Quarters
Winchester 4 16 11 6 – 37
Heights 25 14 16 8 – 63
Heights 3-pointers (10) Runner 4, Hickok 2, Rhoton 2, Osswald 1, Runyan 1.