Macon Takes First Round Girls Win Over Highland

Macon Takes First Round Girls Win Over Highland

By David Sharp

   Macon (7-3) reeled off a string of 15 unanswered second quarter points and held off Highland for a 55-40 first round Highland Tournament girls’ victory. Casey Hinkle tossed in a Lady Cougar three ball, knotting the game at four with 5:13 showing on the first quarter clock.

Paige Klocke drilled a Macon three ball with two ticks on the clock, capping an 11-0 Macon run to a 15-4 first quarter edge. Casey Hinkle stemmed the tide with a Highland three at the 5:30 mark of the second period.

Highland (0-9) hit the offensive boards hard. The Lady Cougars pulled back within a 25-15 halftime deficit, largely fueled by second chance baskets. Sydney Luttrull pulled Highland back within a 38-29 deficit at the 2:20 mark.

The Lady Cougars could not keep Macon from scoring critical points in the paint. Macon took a 42-34 lead to the final period. Highland had four chances to narrow a 44-36 Tigerette lead with 5:31 to play in the game.

Macon took advantage of Highland turnovers and pounded the basketball to the blocks. The Tigerettes scored six straight points for a 50-36 lead with three minutes remaining.

Audrey Freeman and Taylor Wiseman shared high point honors with 12 points each. Casey Hinkle and Chalee Britt were in double figures for their teams with ten points each.

“We struggled putting the ball in the hole,” Highland coach Brad Dance said.

“They got to some loose balls and capitalized with easy buckets and we didn’t. We did a good job on the defensive end. I thought we did a good job checking out.”

“We played pretty well. We just didn’t shoot the ball very well. We had a few missed opportunities in the second half,” Brad Dance said. “We cut it to eight in the third quarter. They steal it from us and make a lay up.”

“We missed too many lay ups. If we make a lay up off a rebound, it’s a four point game. It turned into a ten point game. We are still a young team searching for an identity.”

Highland fired in five three pointers during the contest. The Lady Cougars went 5-7 from the free throw line. Macon was 2-6 from the stripe. Ashlynn Lay scored nine Highland points. Sydney Luttrull put in six and Katelyn Boone added three points.