The top-ranked Hinton girls basketball team came short of repeating as state champions with Rock Valley winning the title by the score of 67-57 on Saturday in Des Moines.
At the conclusion of the game, the message remained positive in the Hinton locker room. Head coach Matt Leary says he reminded his team of how great their season was and how great they are as players and people.
The hump Hinton could never overcome came in the form of Rock Valley’s three-point shooting. The Rockets shot 14-31 from the three-point arch with Haevyn Ranschau making a state-record nine three-point baskets. Sydney Doeschot says they were a tough team to defend.
Coach Leary says taking one or two of their shooters away was not challenging. He says the third one was always the problem that they did not have an answer for.
Sydney Doeschot scored 19 points to lead the Blackhawks in the championship game. She says it was challenging throughout much of the game to get what she wanted offensively.
One thing Hinton controlled all game was the painted area. Hinton scored 32 points in the paint to Rock Valley’s six. Coach Leary says that was a point of emphasis thinking that Rock Valley would not be as efficient as they were from the outside.
In crunch time, Hinton had to turn to their bench to get some momentum going. They turned to freshman Mesa Zellmer to get some defensive stops and junior Rori Koch to get some offense going down low just to name a couple of contributors. Coach Leary says the bench has been forced to step up all season, and they did again in the championship game.
The loss concludes the careers of four seniors for the Hinton girls basketball team. One of those seniors may be one of the most decorated girls basketball players Hinton has ever seen. Sydney Doeschot will conclude her career with nearly 2,000-career points, a state title, and will be a four-time all-stater. She says she is appreciative of all who have helped her.
Coach Leary says all four seniors were great to have in the program.
Hinton concludes the season with a 22-2 record finishing as the state runner-up for the second time in school history. Rock Valley wins their first state title since 2003 and fourth overall.
