Turnovers hurt girls varsity basketball in 57-52 loss to Forest Hills Northern
More stories from Tommy Spaletto
Twenty total turnovers would be the backbreaker in a heartbreaking 57-52 loss to rival Forest Hills Northern. Despite the many turnovers, FHC played a solid game defensively, recording 18 steals on the night. Offensively, sophomore Theryn Hallock and junior Zoe Lipke shined, scoring 18 and 16 respectively. Getting good shots and limiting turnovers will be key for the Rangers in these next few games.
FHN came out hot in the first half, and the Rangers struggled to fight back with the Huskies shooting extremely well from three. However, as the game progressed, FHC battled back with great passing and hitting open shots. Senior Ally Ringler hit some big mid-range shots to keep the game close and cut into the Ranger lead.
The defense for the Rangers put FHC in a great position to make a comeback on the Huskies. Theryn and junior Ava Metaj made some big defensive plays to turn FHN over and get extra positions. Ava also got some big buckets inside to give the Rangers some momentum heading into the half. Picking off some risky Husky passes and turning them into baskets helped FHC chip FHN’s lead to 28-26.
The Huskies came out hot early in the second half, hitting some big shots while the Rangers struggled to convert on the offensive end. Missed shots down the stretch hurt FHC bad down the stretch, as they shot 30% from the field on the night.
In the fourth quarter, Zoe and Theryn scored the bulk of the Ranger points and eventually took the lead with three minutes to go in the game. However, the Huskies stormed back and went on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead thanks to some big buckets in the paint. The big Husky run was too much for FHC to handle with just over a minute remaining, as FHC ended up falling 57-52.
This loss puts the team at 13-6 overall and now 9-2 in the OK White conference. The girls now stand one game behind FHN in the conference standings before a match with Northview this Friday on senior night. If the Rangers can defeat the Wildcats and the Huskies lose to Greenville on Friday, FHC can clinch a share of the conference title with FHN.
To defeat Northview, the offense will have to be clicking for FHC, as the Rangers scored 30 points total on the night last time these two teams met. A strong defensive performance will also be needed, as FHC performed very well defensively in the first game.
Tommy Spaletto is a senior at FHC and enters his third year on the staff and his first year of being Co-Editor in Chief of the FHC Sports Report. He looks...
