By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
ARCADIA – If you happened to see a vapor trail over the skies of Central Indiana the evening of Jan. 22, it originated from the gymnasium at Hamilton Heights as the Class 3A No. 12 host Huskies and 2A fifth-ranked Lapel spent most of the night battling at a stunning pace.
The key phrase is “most of the night.” Hamilton Heights coach Kurt Ogden’s masterful use of his deep and talented bench was the difference in a 71-59 victory for the Huskies.
Those point totals are modest considering the pace at which both teams scored early in the contest. They combined to trip the scoreboard for 45 total points in the first quarter, with 27 of those coming from Lapel. The Bulldogs spent the first period cutting through a variety of Heights presses like a knife through butter and scoring at will on the other end.
Nonetheless, Hamilton Heights (14-2) continued to use its pressure tactics, and the reason why began to become evident in the second quarter. Lapel (13-2) continued to easily break the press, but the shots didn’t fall with such regularity as the Bulldogs hit just 5 of 16 from the field in the second eight minutes.
Meanwhile, the open-court style of play was doing nothing for Lapel’s own defensive effort. Heights scored 23 points in the second stanza, including the final seven, to tie the game at 40 heading to halftime.
If the second quarter had hinted at the Huskies’ strategy, the third period made it painfully obvious to the Lapel faithful. The Bulldogs opened the period on a 5-0 run, but fatigue quickly began to set in. Hamilton Heights scratched its way back to finally take the lead at 51-48 late in the quarter, and Huskies led 53-51 heading to the fourth.
If the final eight minutes had been the later rounds in a heavyweight bout, the fight would have been called on a technical knockout. The Bulldogs were gallant, but they were out of gas.
Picture-perfect fast-break passes from earlier in the game were now delivered a step late and turned into numerous turnovers. Jump shots drilled in the first half were now delivered on tired legs and rarely found the mark.
At their end, the Huskies’ fresher troops had no trouble finding and hitting open shots. Only third-year coach Ogden’s call for a four-corners offense in the final three minutes kept the final margin from reaching 20 points or more.
Neither of these squads is wanting for offensive weapons as both teams had three players with at least 13 points on the evening. Hamilton Heights’ sophomore Jessica Carr claimed game-high honors with 23 points, most of those in the second half.
The slate doesn’t get any easier this week for Hamilton Heights as the Huskies host 2A No. 6 Taylor (16-3) Jan. 24 in attempt to clinch the Mid-Indiana Conference crown. The Titans stand at 4-1 in league play, tied for second place with Northwestern (11-6) and a game and a half behind the 6-0 Huskies.
Lapel will return to action Jan. 27 with a road trip to Tri (9-6).
After the game, Ogden confirmed to Hoosier Authority that the Huskies entered the game believing they could wear down Lapel. His comments are in the video player on this page!
Processing your request, Please wait....
