Second time around is just as nice

A big lead came in handy for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, which withstood a late rally by South O’Brien to earn a 57-50 win on Feb. 7 at Paullina.

The victory in the final game of the 2022-23 regular season was the second for the Hawk girls in War Eagle Conference play.

The first quarter was a seesaw battle, with neither team leading by more than three points. Nine straight points pushed H-M-S’s lead to 29-15, and another late surge extended the margin to 36-20 at half time.

The third quarter was a defensive battle which ended with the Hawks maintaining a 14-point advantage. A three-point play by Moriah Otto in the opening minute of the fourth quarter gave H-M-S a 44-27 lead. South O’Brien began chipping away at the deficit and narrowed it to 52-47 with 30 seconds to play. A pair of baskets by Otto gave the Hawks the cushion they needed to emerge with the victory.

Kylee Schiphoff led H-M-S with 22 points, Otto finished with 14 points, Elise Haack scored 10, Abby Douma and Eliza Tewes scored four, and Emily Mutombo added three.

Otto pulled down 10 rebounds; Mutombo had nine rebounds and three steals; Haack had seven rebounds and two assists; Schiphoff and Tewes had five rebounds; and Douma had three rebounds.