HOPE — Seventy-four free-throws were shot between Hauser and Indian Creek in Tuesday night’s girls basketball game.
Neither team shot the ball well from the line, but Indian Creek had four less turnovers, which helped the Braves pick up the 52-40 win over the Jets.
Hauser shot 18 of 41 from the free-throw line, and Indian Creek hit 18 of its 33 free-throws.
“If we make even half of those misses, it’s a tie ballgame,” Hauser coach Brad Hamilton said. “I’m going to focus on the fact that they never gave up. It’s a great group of kids. They’ve been working hard, but we have to take better care of the basketball, and we have to make shots.”
The Jets (1-6) turned the ball over 22 times. Hauser was trailing 27-20 at the half but could not score in the third quarter. The Braves (5-5) outscored the Jets 16-2 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 43-22 to start the fourth.
Hauser started the shoot the ball better from the line, hitting 10 of its 16 fourth quarter free throws to help close the gap. The Jets started the fourth quarter on a 15-3 run to pull within nine points. Hauser ran out of time to complete the comeback, and Indian Creek hung on for the win.
“I love the heart,” Hamilton said. “I love the effort in the fourth quarter when we get down by (21 points) and they just keep battling. Unfortunately, we have to figure out how to avoid these two-point third quarters. We’ve lost a number of games in the third quarter.”
Tessa Sims led the Jets with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Grace Hasler added 12 points. Sarah Tedder grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds to go with her five points.
