NASHVILLE — Leading by six points at halftime, the Hauser girls basketball team wanted to make sure it didn’t let Brown County back in the game in the second half.
The Jets held the Eagles to zero third quarter points on their way to a 43-29 victory.
Australian exchange student Tori Chandler led the team with 12 points to go along with her four rebounds and a steal in just her third American basketball game.
“She’s still learning the U.S. game,” Hauser coach Brad Hamilton said. “I think she sees the floor well. She’s a team player. She can score, and she can handle the basketball. She even plays really good help defense. I’m glad we have her on the team. All the girls love playing together and contributing, but she’s definitely got some neat skills, and I hope that she’s able to keep going.”
Brown County’s Maddy Edds was a rebound away from a double-double, scoring a game-high 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Edds was the only Eagle who made more than three field goals. The Jets held the rest of the Brown County team to just 16 points.
Hauser (3-0) struggled to score in the second half, as well, but its defense secured the lead by making it tough for the Eagles to find the basket.
“That’s our identity,” Hamilton said. “We’re going to have game where we struggle offensively. We’re still working to gain confidence in ball handling and shooting. But when you can’t get anything to stay in the hole, you can still stay in the game if you play good defense. They come out here and do it every single night so far. We’re three games in, and every single night our staple has been defense.”
The Jets played solid defense against Brown County (2-2), with Grace Hasler forcing three of Hauser’s 10 steals.
Brown County coach Matt Roberts said his team lacked focus and effort, and it showed in the Jets’ offensive rebounding. The Eagles allowed a significant amount of second-chance points, which helped Hauser maintain its lead.
Roberts didn’t get much help from his bench either. The five starters accounted for all of Brown County’s 29 points. Hauser bench outscored it 8-0.
“I think we’re a better team than that, Roberts said. “I expect us to look a lot better the next time around. Turnovers are an issue for us. We’ve struggled with that in the past. We’ve just got to be stronger with the ball and make smarter passes. I think we try to make some passes that really aren’t there. So I think we need to have a better vision on the floor and a better understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively.”
