LocalSportsJournal.com
HART – Whenever Shelby and Hart matchup in any sport, there’s always a chance things could get interesting. That was the case on Tuesday when the Pirates defeated the Tigers, 42-35.
Shelby started the game riding the hot hand of senior Molli Schultz, scoring five points in the game’s opening minutes. Hart quickly responded, going on a 7-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. By the end of the first quarter, the Pirates had a narrow 12-9 lead.
The second quarter was Shelby’s best offensively as they scored 13 points as a team with Brylee Friedman and Kylie Brown at the head of the attack. That helped them flip the lead back in their favor, entering halftime with a 22-21 advantage.
Hart caught fire in the third quarter, using some big shots from freshman Rilynn Porter to help regain and maintain the lead. The fourth quarter saw some dramatics as Hart opted to hold the ball near midcourt in a stall for nearly 2 minutes. Shelby sagged off on defense and allowed the Pirates to run precious time off the clock. That ultimately spelled defeat for the Tigers.
Schultz led all scorers with 14 points to go along with three assists. Friedman had eight points for Shelby while Biloxi Lee finished with eight rebounds.
Hart was led by Addi Hovey with 11 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, while Porter finished right behind with 10 points and four assists. Abby Hicks and Kelsey Copenhaver had eight points each.
The Pirates (16-5, 12-0 WMC Rivers) will look to wrap up the regular season on Thursday when they hit the road to take on Wyoming Potter’s House Christian.
Shelby (5-16, 3-9 WMC Rivers) also has one non-conference game left to play. The Tigers will be at home on Thursday for a matchup with Orchard View.
