| Lady Dragons triumph over the Rams, then tromp the Longhorns |
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| Written by Sharlene Hart |
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Achieving two back-to-back wins over the weekend, the Lady Dragon basketball team rallied back from a first-half deficit to beat the Akron Rams on their own court in overtime, 52-49, on Friday, Jan. 30. Returning home on Saturday, Jan. 31, HHS pulled off another win against Chase County, Neb., with a final score of 52-45. “I was very proud with the composure that our team showed in these two games this weekend,” said coach Arlan Scholl. “Each time the going got tough and they were challenged, they fought back and eventually came up with the win.” Holyoke 52, Akron 49 Holyoke’s Lady Dragons had revenge on their minds after losing in overtime, 45-47, the last time the two teams met on the court. This time, however, it was the Dragons’ turn to triumph.  “The Akron game was a district seeding game, and we needed the win,” said coach Scholl. The girls fought hard to accomplish just that. Starting the game off behind the competitor, Holyoke was down by two at halftime. In the second, Akron scored 15 points to Holyoke’s 10, making the score 25-18 at the end of the first half. The Dragons picked up the pace in the third period, catching the Rams off guard. They added 18 points to the scoreboard, including Holyoke’s only three-pointer of the game, which was shot by Katie Hoffner. Akron, meanwhile, was allowed only 11, and the score was tied at 36. In a fast and furious fourth quarter, the two teams were neck-and-neck, matching each other point for point. Finally, Starkebaum sent the game into overtime when she made a two-point basket in the final seconds of play. Holyoke received the tip and was the first to score in overtime play, but Akron answered right back. The Rams made one more free throw—the team’s last basket of the game—but Starkebaum was able to land two for two when she went to the line. Putting an exclamation point on it, she then put up another two-point basket to give her team a three-point victory. Starkebaum was on fire the second half of the game. She was the team’s leading offensive player throughout, scoring 27 points, including all six of the team’s overtime points. She made three of four free throws and had 11 rebounds for the team. Overall, the local girls had a better field goal percentage than their visitors, making 23 of 46 for 50 percent, compared to Akron’s 15-44 for 34 percent. However, the Rams were 37 percent from the three-point range, sinking six from behind the arc. Akron also made more free-throw shots, hitting 13-19 for 68 percent. Holyoke had 5-10 for 50 percent. The teams tied in rebounding with 25 apiece. Hoffner and Shelby Beavers led the team in assists, both making four. Statistics Holyoke 52, Akron 49 2 3 FT F TP FG Smith 4 0 1-3 1 9 Pelle 1 0 0-0 4 2 Hoffner 2 1 0-0 4 7 Beavers 0 0 0-0 1 0 Starkebaum 12 0 3-4 3 27 Carper 2 0 0-1 5 4 Roth 1 0 1-2 4 3 TEAM 22 1 5-10 22 52 Akron TEAM 9 6 13-19 15 49 Scoring By Quarters Holyoke 8 10 18 10 6 --52 Akron 10 15 11 10 3 --49 Holyoke 52, Chase County 45 Kicking off Saturday’s game against Chase County, Holyoke gained an early, first-quarter lead of 16-9. Marissa Smith contributed the most points in the quarter by finding two baskets from behind the arc. Moving into the second period, Smith landed two more shots from three-point range, as well as two two-pointers. The Lady Longhorns earned 13 points this time, but the Dragons were still sitting pretty at the half, having put up another 16 points themselves. Their confidence slipped in the third, however, as the Lady Dragons struggled to find the basket. Chase County took advantage of the opportunity to close the gap in the scores, making it a five-point game. Recollecting themselves, the HHS players fought hard to hold on to the lead in the fourth. Despite Chase County putting up two threes, Holyoke still outscored the team by two for the victory. Smith was the leading scorer for the game attaining double digits with 18 points. She was two for two at the charity line and had a total of four three-pointers.  Also scoring in double digits was Starkebaum with 12 points and Hoffner with 11. Holyoke led Chase County in both field goal percentage and free throws. The Lady Dragons made 20-48 for 42 percent shooting average, while the Longhorns made 16-53 for 30 percent. At the free-throw line, HHS girls made 7-12 for 58 percent. Chase County girls made 10 of 18 free throws for 56 percent. Chase County led in rebounds with 34, while Holyoke had 27. Starkebaum brought down nine, Beavers six and Roth five. Statistics Holyoke 52, Chase County 45 2 3 FT F TP FG Smith 2 4 2-2 4 18 Pelle 1 0 0-1 1 2 Hoffner 2 1 4-5 2 11 Beavers 1 0 1-2 1 3 Starkebaum 6 0 0-0 2 12 Carper 1 0 0-0 5 2 Roth 2 0 0-2 1 4 TEAM 15 5 7-12 16 52 Chase County TEAM 13 3 10-18 15 45 Scoring By Quarters Holyoke 16 16 6 14 --52 Chase Co. 9 13 11 12 --45 Upcoming Action Holyoke varsity will host Wray Friday, Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. and will travel to Burlington Saturday, Feb. 7, with action starting at 3 p.m. Scholl added, “We look forward to playing Wray at home this next Friday.” Winning this game could give the Lady Dragons the opportunity to take the first seed in the district tournament. |
