(January 29th, 2015) – WEST UNITY: The Lady Cadets had to cling onto their narrow lead for dear life, but they were able to avenge a loss earlier this season to rival North Central.
Despite a a few late runs made by the Lady Eagles, Hilltop was able to hold onto a 4 point advantage, taking the contest 54-50.
Hilltop pulled ahead during the opening quarter, closing out the period with a 13-8 lead. The girls of Pioneer refused to fall further behind, however. They battled back, claiming the second period for themselves 15-13. That wasn’t enough for them to take control of the game, though, as Hilltop stayed ahead 26-23 going into halftime.
North Central continued to chip away at the Cadets’ slight lead in the third frame, outscoring Hilltop 13-12. Just 2 points behind heading into the fourth and final quarter, the Lady Eagles stood poised to take the lead.
It never happened, though. The girls of West Unity managed to counter every surge by the North Central offense, successfully keeping their guests at arms length. When the final buzzer sounded, the Cadets had topped the Eagles in the final period 16-14.
Allie Schmitt,one of many juniors who have stepped up for Hilltop this season, was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points. She did most of her work off of the dribble drive, though she did knock down a three as well. Schmitt also made 4 assists in the contest as well.
Karissa Crisenbery, another Hilltop junior, also had a huge evening, recording a double-double. A 6 for 7 night at the free throw line helped balloon her points total to 12, which complimented her 10 rebounds rather nicely. Sophomore Cadet Felicity Jackson connected on a pair of triples on her way to 15 points.
For the Lady Eagles, senior Sabrina Pickford attacked the rim hard, while also exploring her mid-range game, as she scored 16 points. Fellow North Central senior Rachel Oxender put up 11 points in the loss. Sophomore Mikayla Hayes made 5 of her 6 free throw attempts as she contributed 9 points in the defeat as well.