Hardwood Heroes
Hiland Soars Past South Gallia, 54-33
By: Charlie Ihlenfeld
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Pickerington, Ohio, (WOUB) – It was an incredible ride for this young South Gallia squad. For a team that has no seniors on the roster, reaching the heights of the regional final is an impressive feat. The Rebels had a high hurdle in the Hiland Hawks, and were unable to overcome falling 54-33.,
The Hawks were coming off a dominant performance against the River Pilots. Both of these teams heavily relied upon their star guards. In the case of the Hawks, that was Ashley Mullet. Her Rebels’ counterpart was the junior standout, Morgan Lyons. That physical matchup would define this game.
Out of the gates, the first quarter the Hawks established perimeter dominance that defined their performance. Rebel excellence from the perimeter had propelled them all year, but Mullet and the Hawks silenced them from beyond the arc all night. Whether it was forcing an airball or generating an errant pass, Hiland had an answer for anything and everything South Gallia presented. Playing from behind, the Rebels struggled to breakout out of that slump. At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks had a stranglehold lead of 21-7.
South Gallia began to shake the dust in the second quarter. Behind three-pointers from Madison Summers, the Rebels began to make some noise. The second quarter saw the Rebels’ long-range game come to life, but it wasn’t enough to garner any Hiland nervousness. Even with the reinvigoration of the Rebels’ offense, South Gallia struggled to get their star, Morgan Lyons, going until the end of the second quarter. As the teams went to the locker room, Hiland led 33-21.
After the Rebel offense started to click, the Hiland defense snapped back into place only allowing six points from South Gallia for the remainder of the game. The Hawk defense consistently forced wild shots, and the Rebel defense had no answer for Ashley Mullet, repeatedly sending her to the line. South Gallia’s defense relies on physicality, a strategy that led them to victory against Waterford last week. But in this case, it just landed them in foul trouble. After three quarters, the Rebels trailed 43-27.
The Rebels tried to go back to their fourth-quarter press, the game plan that sent them through the Wildcats.. With Mullet handling the ball, all South Gallia could do was foul. Consequently, the Rebels lost Morgan Lyons and Lynsey Wells to fouls. By then, South Gallia’s depleted roster could no longer keep up with the high-flying Hawks, falling 54-33.
As mentioned, this youthful roster will continue to stand atop the TVC-Hocking in the upcoming season. The Rebels will look to replicate their success but face significant opposition in the Waterford Wildcats and other young teams in the conference. With rising stars, the Rebels are capable of matching those teams blow for blow.