Hugoton High School’s girls’ basketball season came to an end Saturday. It was not exactly the way the well-decorated senior class wanted to finish their season. However HHS again ended their season on a win, which they have done every year since they were freshmen. They went 2-1 in Emporia for 4A Division II state and brought home third place.
Wednesday, the Lady Eagles took on Baxter springs for their first round action. The Lady Eagles started out a little slow in the first, as the two teams wound up being tied after one, 7-7. After that, the Lady Eagles’ defense helped give them a comfortable lead, going into the half 24-17. Baxter springs tried to keep pace as both teams only scored ten in the third, but the lady Eagles proved to be too much for them as HHS ran the fourth quarter and pulled out a 51-35 win. Brooklyn Harper finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in the game. Jordyn Beard grabbed 14 boards.
Friday night, the tables were turned on the Lady Eagles. In years, past the Hugoton team held a number one seed and was “the team to beat” in the 4A II. That was before a season where several key players graduated and the team’s returning All-State player was out with a season-ending knee injury. The Lady Eagles managed to pull the season together and got them in the position to try for yet another title. However on this night, that goal ended with the new powerhouse Baldwin, which dispatched the defending champs and sent them to a third-place game Saturday. The Lady Eagles never seemed to get their offense to go against Baldwin and in some cases the Lady Bulldogs held a definite advantage thanks to their physicality. Even though the lady Eagles battled tough it was not enough as Baldwin jumped out to a 13-5 lead after one and then went to the half up 26-12. The Lady Eagles fought in the fourth and outscored Baldwin but at that point, the game was out of their hands, and the Bulldogs wound up winning 60-47. Harper led the team in scoring with 15 points and Johanna Rawlins contributed 13 more.
The Lady Eagles went into Saturday with a new goal after Friday night’s loss, which was to not be a team to end their season with a loss. The senior group of girls had two State championships and a third place State finish coming into Saturday’s game. They came out with yet another win and finished third again after a win over Marysville. The Lady Eagles only let the Lady Bulldogs stay close to them in the first quarter, then proceeded to run away with the game. The Lady Eagles won 64-43. Both Harper and Rawlins put up 16 points to lead the Eagles. Laney Hoskinson helped the cause adding 13 points.
The Lady Eagles ended the season with a 17-8 record for the year. Harper was named to the All-State Tournament team. The Lady Eagles will lose three starting seniors next year with an additional three off the bench next season. However, the team will return four core players who provided starting time and quality minutes this season and some very talented JV players for next year’s run for State.
