by Benjamin Chase
of the Plainsman
HURON –– For the first time this season, the Huron Tigers used a different starting lineup. The result was still positive for the Huron girls, coming away with a 50-38 victory over the Watertown Arrows Friday at Huron Arena.
Junior Abagail Harrington fractured a bone in her hand in practice, and she will miss the rest of the regular season for the Tigers. That gave Huron coach Kody Kopfmann the opportunity to start five seniors Friday on senior night.
“I’m a big North Carolina fan,” Kopfmann related. “He always did that, and it feels good to be able to do that for the girls.”
It was a Watertown senior who got the first points of the game as Kynsee Russell got a steal and layup to open scoring. Hylton Heinz responded on the next possession, scoring on a drive and converting a free throw.
Jordan Remmers made one of two free throws for Watertown and Lydia Stemwedel dropped in a bucket to give the Arrows a 5-3 lead.
Aly Davis found Chloe Carr underneath for two, and Heinz hit one of two free throws. Emma Olson hit one of two free throws to tie the game, 6-6.
Jencie Goergen nailed a wing three, and Heinz scored a bucket after a steal. Torrence Tipton got a putback for Watertown to close the Huron lead to 11-8.
Davis scored on a backdoor pass from Heinz and Heinz hit a pull up jumper on the next possession. After a Watertown turnover, Davis was fouled but missed both free throws, but on the miss, Jayla Schley got a putback basket. Schley then got a very nice pass from Addyson Knight to push the Huron lead out to 19-8.
Stemwedel got a basket for Watertown to end the 8-0 Huron run. Heinz then responded with a free throw and Knight also hit one of two charity tosses.
Remmers closed the first quarter out with two trips to the free throw line, converting three of four to bring Huron’s lead down to 21-13 to end the frame.
Huron’s Hailey Rogers passes the ball as Andi Olson of Watertown defends during their game Friday at Huron Arena.
The Tigers started the second quarter strong. Heinz got into the lane for a basket, then she scored off an inbounds pass. Her second basket of the quarter was Hylton’s 1,000th career point.
She didn’t waste any time celebrating, though, scoring on a pull up jumper to give Huron a 27-13 lead.
Ellie Thury scored putback baskets on the next two Watertown possessions, but then Heinz found Knight backdoor for two.
Heinz cut through the defense for a basket, and Schley was fouled on a basket, but she missed the and-one opportunity.
Remmers dropped in a pair of free throws, but Heinz answered with a baseline drive to give Huron a 35-19 lead heading to halftime.
After going empty in the first half from deep, Remmers gave Watertown their first long ball to open the second half. She followed up with a baseline drive for another basket.
Schley got a putback bucket for Huron, but Russell then got a putback and Remmers found the bottom of the net on a jumper to bring Watertown within 37-29. Russell would become the first player in the game with four fouls, but Schley quickly joined her, fouling Remmers, who converted two free throws to cut the Huron lead to six at 37-31.
Huron then locked down on defense, not allowing another point the final 3:42 of the quarter. Heinz got one of two free throws, then Knight sunk a pair of free throws to make it 40-31.
Carr scored off the inbounds pass, then Heinz hit a short jumper. Carr and Heinz then each hit one of two free throws, as the Tigers finished the third on a 9-0 run, leading 46-31 heading into the final frame.
Huron’s Jayla Sc;hley puts up a shot during a game against Watertown on Friday at Huron Arena.
Remmers came out strong in the fourth, scoring on a putback and a runner. Tipton hit a free throw to bring the Arrows within 46-36.
Davis drove baseline for a basket, and Russell answered with a drive and a bank shot.
After neither team scored for multiple minutes, Chloe Carr scored the final points of the game off a strong pass by Knight to make it 50-38 for the Tigers at the final buzzer.
The Tigers move to 10-8 behind 23 points from Heinz. Schley had eight points before fouling out, and Carr chipped in seven.
Hailey Rogers pulled down six rebounds to lead Huron.
Coach Kopfmann stated that foul trouble was really the main thing that slowed down his team in the second half.
“Both ways, offensively and defensively, I thought we were really good in the first half,” he said. “The biggest thing that derailed us in the second half was foul trouble.”
The Arrows fall to 3-15. Remmers scored 20 to lead Watertown. Thury grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Tigers finish the season next week playing the top two teams in the state, beginning with a home game Tuesday against O’Gorman and finishing the week Friday against top-ranked Brandon Valley.
Kopfmann knows the games won’t be easy, but he knows his team is focused on playing spoiler.
“We’ve got to come out and give our best effort,” Kopfmann explained. “The ultimate goal, no matter what happens next week, is still ahead of us.”
Watertown 13 19 31 38
Huron 21 35 46 50
Watertown (3-15): Jordan Remmers 5 8-10 20, Lydia Stemwedel 2 0-1 4, Ellie Thury 2 0-0 4, Kynsee Russell 3 0-0 6, Emma Olson 0 1-2 1, Torrence Tipton 1 1-3 3. Totals: 13 10-16 38.
Huron (10-8): Aly Davis 2 0-2 4, Hylton Heinz 9 5-9 23, Jencie Goergen 1 0-0 3, Chloe Carr 3 1-2 7, Addyson Knight 1 3-4 5, Jayla Schley 4 0-1 8. Totals: 20 9-18 50.
FG: W – 13/50, 26%; H – 20/44, 46%. 3-pt FG: W – 2/19 (Remmers 2); H – 1/12 (Goergen). Rebounds: W 32 (Thury 13), H 30 (Rogers 6). Assists: W 1, H 11 (Davis 5). Steals: W 5 (Remmers, Russell 2), H 9 (Knight 3). Turnovers: W 15, H 14. Fouls: W 20, H 20 (Schley out).
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