LocalSportsJournal.com
HART – A final score of 55-37 in favor of Hart’s girls basketball team over North Muskegon didn’t tell the whole story as the first half saw one tie and four lead changes.
The Pirates got off to a good start, building a 9-2 run out the gate and smothering the Norsemen with their press defense. The Norse found a way to counter the defense and roared back to snag a 16-12 lead at the end of the opening frame.
“We play Mason County Central on Friday and we may have been looking forward to that,” Hart coach Travis Rosema said of the team’s first quarter effort. “North Muskegon is a much improved team, but we just weren’t executing the way we’re capable of.”
Focusing on taking care of the ball allowed Hart to regain control in the second quarter, jumping back in front 27-22 at halftime.
The second half saw much less dramatics as the Pirates limited North Muskegon to just five points in the third quarter and cruised to victory.
“Hart is a fantastic team, but this game was much closer than the score shows,” North Muskegon coach Jill Young said. “The score was 27-22 going into the half and we were only down by 10 or so in the third. Unfortunately, Hart didn’t sub out their starters until about one minute left in order to make this game not appear as close as it was and that’s a shame because it was a great effort by the Norse.”
Hart was led by Addi Hovey with 19 points, 12 rebounds and eight steals. Kelsey Copenhaver and Rilynn Porter each notched 12 points with Copenhaver grabbing six boards and Porter dishing out seven assists. Reese Smith had a good game defensively, picking up six steals.
For North Muskegon, Delaney Young recorded a team-high 10 points and eight rebounds. Allie Jensen added eight points and four steals while Marilyn Gaston had seven points and six rebounds.
