HOPE — It looked like the Brownstown Central girls basektball team was well on its way to victory as the end of the third quarter was near.
Hauser had other plans.
The Jets made a serious push that began at the end of the third quarter and stretched into the fourth quarter, going on a 14-0 run.
Brownstown eventually tied the game with 10 seconds left in regulation — but the Jets got the final word.
Senior Paige Miller noticed the pass from Abbey Ashbrook was going to come up short. She adjusted by running to the ball, catching and shooting a mid-range jumper with three seconds left to lift the Jets to a 59-57 upset victory against the Braves.
“Abbey was supposed to give it to Tessa (Sims), and I was supposed to do a back-door layup,” Miller said. “The pass was going to be short, so I just stepped out, stopped and prayed for it to go in — and it did.”
It was a second half defensive adjustment by the Jets (10-7) that proved huge, producing some key scoring opportunities. Trailing 49-39, Hauser stayed aggressive and forced key turnovers that led to points at the other end.
Sims got a couple of inside buckets and Sarah Tedder had a steal and went coast to coast, maneuvering her way around Braves defenders for the lay-in. Grace Hasler capped the run off with two crucial shots to put the Jets ahead, 53-49.
Tedder finished with a game-high 17 points, matching her career high from earlier in the season. She has been making huge strides over the past month.
“I’ve been working very hard in practice,” Tedder said. “I listen to what the coaches tell me because they had helped me a lot this season. I take what they say into consideration and put it in the game. I go a lot harder in games because I want the team to win.”
The Jets were burned by six Braves 3-pointers in the first half. They only allowed three 3-pointers in the second half, and those came early in the third quarter. Hauser allowed only two field goals in the fourth.
“I went to zone to start with because I felt we would have a hard time staying man to man against (Brownstown) and my concern was we would be so gassed and not have anything left in the tank on offense,” Hauser coach Brad Hamilton said. “It was not the right game plan on my part, but we adjusted and gutted it out and won this game with our defense.”
Another statistic that should please Hamilton is the free-throw shooting. After struggling on and off from the line all season, the Jets went 12 for 15 from the line.
What makes the upset more significant is the fact that Brownstown defeated Columbus East earlier in the season.
“These kids show a lot of heart, especially in the second half,” Hamilton said.
