FAIRFIELD — The Harrison High School girls basketball team took a while to get going Monday night in Division II district tournament play.
But once the Wildcats got going, the chemistry of the squad ,took over, leading to a 52-31 triumph over Kings at Fairfield Arena.
“I think we started off a little bit slow,” Harrison senior guard Shelby Piepmeier said. “Honestly, we were just adjusting to how Kings plays. I think after the first half we did a much better job of getting up on them and getting steals and getting points. We made shots. I don’t know why but in the first half we couldn’t make shots.”
Piepmeier handled the ball all night, breaking the press while scoring 14 points for the second-seeded Wildcats (22-1).
Along with Abby Smith, who had 11 points, HHS coach Troy Kinnett said he has some capable ball handlers.
Wildcats senior forward Alli Robertson, a University of Southern Indiana commit, led all scorers with 20 points, but Kinnett said she can score more if she needs to.
“Two years ago we needed to force it to Robertson, but now we have five girls who can score,” Kinnett said. “(Robertson’s) numbers are down due to the balance of this team. (Piepmeier) and (Smith), they can score. Those two are so athletic that when we get pressed, they can break it.”
Robertson was held 3 points below her scoring average, but she was happy for her team to get the win and advance.
“It is amazing,” Robertson said. “Lots of nerves going into the game … this could be your last game. But it is done. We got this.”
Harrison struggled early, hitting only 6-of-19 from the field while building a 16-9 halftime lead. The Wildcats made 14-of-22 shots in the second half, including 10 points from Piepmeier and 9 from Smith.
“We worked a lot in practice on the press,” Piepmeier said. “We have had a lot of trouble handling pressure, getting shots and turning the ball over. We worked on keeping our heads up, seeing the stretch and everything, and I think that helped us a lot instead of waiting on the trap and getting it turned over.”
While Harrison celebrated a solid second half, Kings coach Stephen Green could only lament the amount of layups his squad missed.
Senior Jenna Burke poured in 16 points, but was the only Knight in double figures. Kings shot 10-of-50 from the field, including 3-of-28 from inside the paint.
“That was the best offensive execution, worst finishing I have had in 25 years of coaching,” Green said. “We got layups. At the end of the day, you have to finish at the rim. We shot nine more times, had 14 offensive rebounds. It is frustrating as a coach. We just couldn’t finish at the rim.“
Sami Wade had 4 points and 12 boards for the fifth-seeded Knights (7-16). Burke added five rebounds and four steals.
“Our girls competed hard,” Green said. “We felt like we could pressure them. You can’t score if you can’t exert pressure.”
Burke hit a 3 at the buzzer to end the third quarter and began the final stanza with one to make it 35-28, but Harrison responded with a 9-point run to end the drama.
Harrison will play top-seeded Stebbins (16-7) for a district championship at noon on Saturday at Fairborn.
Kings 7-2-16-6 — 31
Harrison 9-7-19-17 — 52
KINGS (7-16): Abbie Burke 1 0 3; Jenna Burke 4 4 16; Patten Volz 2 1 5; Ava Gendreau 1 0 3; Sami Wade 2 0 4. Totals: 10 5 32
HARRISON (22-1): Maggie Seiter 1 0 2; Alli Robertson 9 2 20; Khloe Legner 1 0 2; Abby Smith 3 5 11; Hailey Turner 1 0 3; Shelby Piepmeier 5 2 14. Totals: 20 9 52
3-Pointers: K 7 (J. Burke 4, A. Burke, Volz, Gendreau), H 3 (Piepmeier 2, Turner)
