By RICHIE HALL
NEW CASTLE – Any basketball coach will tell you that it’s difficult to beat a team twice in one season.
That was the assignment for the Hamilton Heights girls on Wednesday, as the Huskies opened play at Class 3A Sectional 24 at New Castle by taking on Winchester. The 3A No. 7 Huskies easily beat the Falcons 63-37 on Jan. 2, but figured they would be in for a battle in the sectional re-match.
But a big run to open the second quarter took Heights from a single-digit lead to a 20-plus point advantage, and the Huskies cruised to a 64-42 victory. Thus, Heights advanced to Friday’s semi-finals, where it will play New Castle in the 7:30 p.m. second semi-final game. The first semi-final tips off at 6 p.m. and will see Jay County face off against Yorktown.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” said Huskies coach Keegan Cherry. “It’s hard to beat a team twice, especially a quality team like Winchester. So we knew it was going to be a battle.”
Heights was up for the battle, taking an 18-10 lead after the first quarter. The Huskies had their long-range shooting working early, as both Jillian Osswald and Camryn Runner hit two 3-pointers in that period. Osswald added another basket to give her eight points during the quarter. Sydney Runyan and MyKayla Moran both scored two points as well.
In the second quarter, Heights stayed hot. The Huskies outscored Winchester 14-0 during the first five minutes, before the Falcons’ Gena Moore made two free throws at the 3:03 mark. During the Huskies’ run, Runner and Osswald both scored five points, including another triple for each player. Winchester cut into Heights’ lead during the last three minutes of the period, but the Huskies still held a 36-22 lead at halftime.
The Falcons challenged the Huskies in the third quarter, but Heights was able to get a big basket whenever it seemed like Winchester was getting a little too close. A 6-0 Falcons run was halted when Moran scored on a putback. Later, Winchester got within 43-33, but Runner scored five straight points (a 3 and a layin) to end that.
“We want to be great in our role,” said Cherry. “And the cool thing about our locker room is, nobody cares who scores. Nobody cares who gets the credit. We’re just all about winning and whatever that takes. Our girls have bought into being great in their role and we know that Jillian, Camryn and MyKayla is who we need to play through. That gives us the best chance to win. Now when the others have opportunities to make plays, then make them. But we need to be smart and recognize our primary options and then make them pay if they don’t want to guard the others.”
The Huskies led 50-35 after three quarters. Heights finished the game strong, making an 8-1 run in the final three minutes. Ella Hickok started the stretch with two free throws, then Osswald got the last six points, with another 3-pointer and a 3-of-4 effort from the free-throw line.
Osswald finished the game with 27 points, including four 3-pointers, while Runner drained five 3s on her way to 21 points.
Heights is 16-1 for the season, but Cherry believes his team is the underdog. After all, Jay County is 18-3 and Yorktown is 15-5, and one of those teams will be in the final.
“I’m excited about this first one,” said Cherry. “I’m excited about being able to prepare for Friday, and if we’re fortunate enough to win on Friday, I’ll be excited to prepare for whoever it is we play on Saturday. And being in that underdog role, that’s where we thrive and that’s where we’ll be. We’ll be underdogs.”
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 64, WINCHESTER 42
Heights FG FT TP PF
Ella Hickok 2 3-4 7 2
Jillian Osswald 8 7-8 27 1
Camryn Runner 8 0-0 21 5
Sydney Runyan 1 0-0 2 2
MyKayla Moran 2 1-2 5 3
Hadleigh Cherry 1 0-0 2 2
Kaylee Rhoton 0 0-0 0 0
Cassidy Felger 0 0-0 0 0
Alayna Baber 0 0-0 0 0
Morgan Ottinger 0 0-0 0 0
Cassidy Schakel 0 0-0 0 0
Emma Linville 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 22 11-14 64 15
Score by Quarters
Winchester 10 12 13 7 – 42
Heights 18 18 14 14 – 64
Heights 3-pointers (9) Runner 5, Osswald 4.