WAYLAND

Victory was in sight for Highland as they entered the fourth with a near 20-point lead and despite WACO’s best efforts to rally, the Huskies (13-6) held firm in the fourth to take down the Warriors (11-7), with a 64-53 road win on Jan. 28.

“Saying I am proud of the girls’ effort is an underestimated comment,” Highland head coach Jody Fink said about his team defeating WACO. “I can’t praise these girls enough for tonight’s outcome.”

The Huskies held a slim 2-point lead at the half, but going on a 30-13 run in the third put them firmly in the driver’s seat heading into the final frame.

“The girls followed the game plan to a “T”,” coach Fink said. “We did a great job of attacking the basket and taking advantage of the free throws tonight.”

While the deficit was greater this time around, WACO still aimed to replicate its previous success against the Huskies by rallying in the fourth and as the quarter progressed they came close, cutting Highland’s lead to as little as four.

  “WACO still fought back and we missed some easy buckets in the 4th quarter, but the girls held their poise and came out on top.” coach Fink said, “WACO’s drive in the 4th quarter came in the form of their offensive rebounding.  We weren’t rotating very well and they got some easy rebounds.”

Not rattled by the rally, the Huskies iced the game from the free-point line to fend off the Warriors and keep pace in a competitive conference. As a team Highland went 21/32 from the charity stripe with 10 of Kamryn Fink’s team high 27-points being scored from the line.   

It was an all-around performance for Fink in the win as she also led the Huskies in rebounds (14), assists (5), steals (5), and blocks (2). This is the fifth time this season Fink has scored 20 or more points.

Highland 60, Pekin 49

Matching their win total from a season ago, the Huskies (14-6, SEISC 10-5 ) picked up their second straight road conference victory by defeating Pekin (7-11, 5-10) on Jan. 31 to even the season series against the Panthers.    

“We did a nice job of sticking to the game plan and executing it,” Highland head coach Jody Fink said about the game against Pekin. “It was nice to be able to control the game from the free throw line finally.  The girls shared the ball well and got many people involved.”

Scoring more than their season average, it was an impressive and consistent offensive night for the Huskies as they put up 14 or more points in all four quarters.

Similar to their last game, Highland took control in the third quarter. Going on a 17-8 run in the third, the Huskies went into the fourth with a 10-point advantage and held steady until the final buzzer to secure the win.

“Our communication was better on the whole but still can’t have enough of it.” coach Fink said. “The girls are playing well right now but still have some areas we need to clean up, but we’re getting there.”

Highland was led by Kamryn Fink and Emersyn Schultz who scored 22 and 20 points respectively. Fink also grabbed a team high 16 boards to earn her 14th double double of the season. The standout freshman now leads the Huskies with 316 points and 304 rebounds through 20 games.

Highland 64, WACO 53

Highland  13    6    30   15  -- 64

WACO        6    11   13   23 --  53

Highland leading scorers: Kamryn Fink 27, Hailey Brun 12, Katie Herrig 10

WACO leading scorers: Madelyn Farmer 16, Courtney Waterhouse 12, Drew Graber 8

Highland leading rebounders: Fink 14, Herrig 8, Emersyn Schultz 8

Highland 60, Pekin 49

Highland  15    14   17   14  -- 60

Pekin        16    13    8   13 --  49

Highland leading scorers: Kamryn Fink 22, Emersyn Schultz 20, Katelyn Thomann 12

Pekin leading scorers: Anna Hadley 14, Renae Eubanks 9, Abby Guise 7

Highland leading rebounders: Fink 16, Thomann 8, Katie Herrig 6

Pekin leading rebounders: Hadley 19, Guise 10, Paislee Coleman 7