For the second year in a row, the Hinton girls basketball team advanced to the state tournament. They defeated No. 15 Earlham by the score of 46-38 in Denison on Wednesday night.
Hinton started off the game with a 10-0 lead and saw Earlham chip it down to a 20-19 lead heading into the half. Hinton head coach Matt Leary had to remind his team that basketball games take some time, and they had to weather some early adversity.
One of the reasons for the slow start offensively was due to Earlham’s defensive gameplan. The Cardinals were trying to keep Sydney Doeschot from possessing the basketball most of the game. That allowed for her teammates to help her out by moving without the ball to get home, and she says that was huge to get some offense going.
One of those players that found some open shots was Keely Derochie. She finished with 12 points, and all of her baskets came at big times. Derochie says she has worked hard to develop a mid-range game, and it has paid off for her.
Hinton was able to keep their lead over Earlham thanks to some suffocating defense that forced 16 steals in the win. Karlyn Kovarna was a big reason why that defense was successful, and she says having strong on-ball pressure was crucial.
At the half, Hinton needed to make adjustments to spur some offensive success. Coach Leary says they did that by looking to get the ball inside more.
Those inside looks benefitted Derochie who scored eight of her 12 points in the second half. She says she is always looking for those little gaps in the defense.
As the game continued along, Hinton was leading 41-38 late in the fourth quarter and was able to steal the ball away multiple times to ice the game at the free throw line. Sydney Doeschot created some of those defensive steals and was rewarded with some free throws. Coach Leary says she was being a distributor most of the night, and it was good to see her clinch the tournament berth at the line.
In those tense moments late in a game, Derochie says everyone on the bench is encouraging to bring the team to the finish.
This season has been a bit more of an up and down season for the Blackhawks after suffering a loss earlier in the season and suffering an injury just over a week ago to Bailey Boeve. Addison Glass says that adversity has made them stronger going into the state tournament.
Doeschot says this has been a great team to compete with all season.
Hinton has a goal to repeat as state champions after their 26-0 run to the title last season. Doeschot says practicing with intensity leading up to the state tournament will be very important.
The Blackhawks will open their state tournament run against the only team to beat them in the regular season. They will play West Lyon on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round at state. Coach Leary knows his team will need to develop some offensive consistency to get the job done.
Tip-off between the Blackhawks and Wildcats is set for 6:45 PM on Tuesday night. Pregame coverage from Des Moines on KLEM will get underway at around 6:30 PM.
