Hawk girls pull upset
Moss and Friest go for 26 points combined in win over ?Gilbert
JEWELL — After a brutal start to the Heart of Iowa Conference journey, the South Hamilton girls’ basketball team was rewarded for its perseverance on Coach Jim Marsh Court Tuesday night.
The shots that didn’t fall in the Hawks’ first three games? They fell against Gilbert, as a balanced attack was precisely what they needed to upset the Tigers, 46-45.
“I was so proud of the effort the girls gave,” South Hamilton head coach Mark Henderson said after his club shot a season-best 45 percent from the field (18 of 40). “After three tough games to open conference, it was great to see us bounce back with the energy we had.
“Our pacing and movement on offense was so much better than it was last Friday and that led to good open looks. We were knocking those down.”
South Hamilton (2-5, 1-3 HOIC) had two players score in double figures and four with eight points or more. Still without the services of leading scorer Marla Grubb, Anna Moss took the spotlight and poured in a season-high 14 points to go along with five assists. Moss buried three 3-pointers.
“Anna Moss was outstanding, she stepped up big time,” Henderson said.
Sydney Friest provided the inside presence with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Rylee Woodall canned a pair of triples and finished with eight points, and Breanne Diersen registered eight points, seven boards and two steals.
The only place where the Hawks didn’t excel was at the charity stripe where they made just 5 of 13 shots. But Woodall made two when they counted the most in the final seconds.
Gilbert (3-4, 1-3 HOIC) received 12 points from Kenzie Miller and 10 from Hannah Thatcher. They combined to rattle in five of the Tigers’ eight 3-point buckets.
But Gilbert struggled mightily from the field where it connected on just 28 percent of its attempts (17 of 60).
South Hamilton will be at PCM on Friday.
South Hamilton 46, Gilbert 45
Tuesday at Jewell
Gilbert (3-4, 1-3 HOIC) — Kenzie Miller 4 0-0 12, Hannah Thatcher 4 0-0 10, Nessa Johnson 2 0-2 5, Emma Bulman 3 1-1 8, Thea Rotto 3 0-0 6, Sarah Hinners 0 2-2 2, Jordyn Milhous 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 3-5 45.
South Hamilton (2-5, 1-3 HOIC) — Rylee Woodall 2 2-4 8, Anna Moss 5 1-1 14, Breanne Diersen 4 0-1 8, Taylor Volkmann 0 2-3 2, Aneesa Balderas 0 0-0 0, Emma Lewis 1 0-0 2, Taylor Ratzke 0 0-0 0, Sydney Friest 6 0-4 12. Totals: 18 5-13 46.
Gilbert 10 14 12 9 — 45
S. Hamilton 14 12 12 8 — 46
3-point field goals — GIL 8 (Miller 4, Thatcher 2, Johnson, Em. Bulman); SH 5 (Moss 3, Woodall 2). Rebounds — SH 32 (Friest 8, Diersen 7). Steals — SH 5 (Diersen 2). Assists — SH 14 (Moss 5, Friest 5). Turnovers — GIL 10, SH 14. Team fouls — GIL 15, SH 8. Fouled out — Hinners.