The top-ranked Hinton girls basketball team advanced to their second-consecutive state championship game with a 57-48 win over Denver in Des Moines on Friday morning.
The Blackhawks wasted no time getting into a groove offensively. Hinton scored 23 points in the first quarter to the tune of a 10-13 rate from the field. Sydney Doeschot was creating a lot of those scoring chances with her three assists in the first quarter. She says the Blackhawks had an energy offensively that was contagious.
After not hitting a three-point shot in the last game against West Lyon, Addison Glass came out and hit two of them to open her day. She scored 10 points in the first quarter and says it was very important to get that first one to fall.
Considering how slow the second quarter was offensively, head coach Matt Leary says that strong start was even more important.
At the halftime break, Hinton led the game by just six points after having a 13-point advantage in the first half. Coach Leary says his team was able to withstand the run thanks to their strong performance on the glass and taking care of the ball.
Sydney Doeschot led the Blackhawks in rebounding once again recording seven rebounds in the win. She says she has been motivated to pick up the slack with the injury to Bailey Boeve.
Raelyn Kempema has also felt the need to step up for Hinton. She had six rebounds in the win, and she says she is always looking to get as many rebounds as she can.
Kempema also turned into a threat from the outside scoring 15 points while knocking down three three-point baskets. She says having an impact from the outside was big for the matchup with her post defender.
Many Blackhawks found ways to score with three finishing in double figures including Addison Glass who had 12 points. She has always been an outside threat, but she says she has worked on being able to score at many levels.
One other key factor towards Hinton’s win was their post defense from Raelyn Kempema. She held Denver’s top scorer, Mylee Thurm, to just five points. Kempema says she executed the defensive gameplan well.
Hinton had to wait for a little while to see who they would play for the championship. Coach Leary says both teams they could have played would have brought some challenges to them.
Glass says she had such a good time playing for the championship last year, and it is great to get back to that point again this season.
The formula doesn’t change tomorrow for the Blackhawks to be successful. Doeschot says it will take being better defensively and on the glass to win the title.
After the final 2A semifinal concluded, Hinton found out they will play Rock Valley for the state championship. Tip-off is set for 4:45 PM on Saturday with pregame coverage beginning on KLEM at around 4:30.
