Lincoln powers past Huron girls

HURON — Lack of offensive production in the first and third quarter hampered the Huron girls’ basketball team during a matchup against Sioux Falls Lincoln on Saturday at Huron Arena.
The Tigers were limited to a total of just five points during that 16 minutes of play as the Patriots recorded a 54-34 victory.
“I thought we rushed shots and its pretty tough when they are long and coming at you with their hand up,” Huron coach Tim Buddenhagen said. “They got in that 1-3-1 and we didn’t attack very well. We didn’t get a girl to the middle soon enough and then when that girl got it in the middle we went one bounce too far and then the zone collapses and we have to get it out and be ready to shoot.”
Senior guard Lexi Hotchstein did most the damage in the opening quarter for Lincoln. She had all nine points in a 9-2 run the Patriots used to close the opening quarter for a 16-3 advantage.
The Tigers found some success at the offensive end in the second quarter, as they managed to shave the deficit back into single digits.
After yielding a field goal to the opponent to start the quarter, Huron rattled off eight unanswered points to 18-11 with 2:25 remaining in the first half.
After Havyn Heinz broke the scoring drought for the Tigers with a basket, Brooke Schiltz scored on a jumper and then hit a pair of free throws moments later to fuel the run.
Tenley Buddenhagen would cap the rally with two free throws.
After Lincoln converted on just its second shot of the quarter, Heinz drew Huron as close as it would get with a conventional 3-point play and a 3-pointer to cut the lead for the Patriots to 23-17.

Lincoln would carry a 25-18 lead into the second half and were able to pull away using a 13-2 scoring advantage during the next eight minutes.
The Patriots, who had a clear height advantage with three players measuring 6-foot-1, resorted to their inside game to do the damage in the second half.
Morgan Hansen, a 6-1 post player, scored eight of the 13 points in the third quarter for Lincoln, which led 38-20 heading into the final quarter.
“They went inside against us and we couldn’t stop it,” Buddenhagen said. “They are strong and big on the inside. They didn’t hit many outside shots. We couldn’t hold them off on the inside and we failed to score in the third quarter.”
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Sami Shoultz and Heinz pumped life back into the Huron offense in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough, as the Patriots inked a 54-34 win to improve to 7-4.
Hansen would finish with a game-high 15 points for the Patriots, while Hotchstein added 13 points. Hansen also had five rebounds and a pair of steals.
Heinz led the Tigers, who are now 2-8, with 12 points and eight rebounds. Shoultz had seven points, while Bella Shreeve had five points, Schiltz and Buddenhagen each had four points.
Huron returns to action Tuesday against Harrisburg at Huron Arena as part of the doubleheader. The game is slated for 6:15 p.m.
“We have some work to do, because Harrisburg coming in is just as big, just as strong and they shoot it really well,” Buddenhagen said. “We have to be ready to go.”

Sioux Falls Lincoln     16  25  38  54
Huron           3  18  20  34
Sioux Falls Lincoln (7-4): Morgan Hansen 7 1-2 15; Mya Wilson 1 1-1 3; Brooke Brown 3 0-0 7; Sydnaya Dunn 2 2-2 6; Cheyenne Miller 1 3-4 6; Lexi Hotchstein 5 1-3 13; Brooke Lindsay 1 2-3 4. Totals: 20 10-15 54.
Huron (2-8): Tenley Buddenhagen 1 2-2 4; Havyn Heinz 4 2-3 12; Sami Shoultz 2 2-3 7; Brooke Schiltz 1 2-2 4; Bella Shreeve 1 2-2 5; Brooklyn Boetel 1 0-0 2. Totals: 10 10-12 34.
Rebounds: SFL 22 (Hansen 5); H 25 (Heinz 8). 3-point goals: SFL 4 (Hotchstein 2, Brown 1, Miller 1); H 4 (Heinz 2, Shoultz 1, Shreeve 1). Turnovers: SFL 5; H 15. Assists: SFL na; H na. Steals: SFL 7 (Hansen 2); H 1. Fouls: SFL 15; H 17.