Staff Intern
CARMEL â??? It was a good early season test Nov.
25 for Class 4A third-ranked Hamilton Southeastern when the Royals traveled to
face rival No. 10 Carmel in girls basketball action.
After
building a huge lead in the first half, Southeastern held off a ferocious
Greyhound rally to win the game, 56-45.
â??I thought
we played a very nice, all-around game,â? said Hamilton Southeastern coach Chris
Huppenthal. â??We got some production out of a lot of kids, we were able to go 11
deep on our bench, and [we] saw a lot of people do a lot of good things.â?
The Royals
(5-0) jumped out in the first quarter, dominating the Greyhounds on both ends
of the court to take a 15-4 lead. Junior Laura Cook led the early attack with
six points in the quarter.
â??It was
nice to get out to that lead â??? obviously, we needed it,â? Huppenthal said. â??When
these two teams get together, no one is going to run away.
â??These
teams have a nice little rivalry going, and we played hard tonight and got some
timely baskets when we needed it.â?
The pace
picked up considerably in the second quarter with Carmel (4-1) trying to claw its way back into
the game. The Greyhounds closed the half on a 6-0 run that made it 27-18 at the
half.
The second
half brought â??The Danielle Havel Showâ? as the Carmel junior forward was dominant throughout
the half. In the third period alone, she scored 11 of her teamâ??s 16 points to
help cut the deficit to just six at the quarterâ??s end.
Then with
6:26 left in the game, Havel (21 points) hit a
turnaround jumper to cut the lead to a mere bucket.
â??Danielle
played very well in the second half when we needed someone to step up,â? said Carmel coach Scott Bowen.
â??But we need her to be more consistent â??? we need that play in both halves.â?
After a
3-pointer by Cook, two Havel free throws cut the lead back to three points with
5:37 remaining. On the next three possessions, Carmel had three 3-point attempts that would
have tied the game, but none were able to find the bottom of the net.
â??We
started playing a little bit harder, [and] we were able to match their
intensity,â? Bowen said. â??For whatever reason, we came out sluggish in the first
half.
â??We let
missing shots affect our defense and, no matter what, if we do that weâ??re in
trouble.â?
The Royals
were led by sophomores Courtney Osborn and Paige Smith, who each hit key shots
and collected big rebounds down the stretch to withstand the rally. Both girls
finished in double figures as Osborn scored 13 points and Smith added 11.
â??I think
their experience from playing last year as freshmen has really helped them in
the early going this year,â? Huppenthal said. â??Those kids are two great players and
are important to what we are going to accomplish.â?
The two
teams will meet again Dec. 27 in the Hamilton County Tournament.
So
what do you think? Share your thoughts in our Girls Basketball forum.
Processing your request, Please wait....
