HOPE — Hauser went on a big rally to end the first quarter, but the final three quarters of Friday’s girls basketball game belonged to Waldron.
The Mohawks outscored the Jets 11-3 in the second quarter and couldn’t recover in the second half of a 52-37 Mid-Hoosier Conference loss.
“Give (Waldron coach Anthony Thomas) a lot of credit. He made a lot quicker adjustments than I did,” Hauser coach Brad Hamilton said. “On the other hand, I think we got tired and did not move our feet. When we get into foul trouble, we start slacking off on defense as opposed to staying strong and staying aggressive.”
The Mohawks (4-1, 2-0) started out the game leading 9-2. Baskets by Hannah Johnson, Aunaka Wasil, Mel Hasler and a Mykenzie Ault layin at the buzzer capped off eight straight points for the Jets (1-5, 0-1) to tie the game at 13-13.
Rebounding was the big issue for Hauser in the second quarter, and it allowed Waldron several second chance points in which they converted for a 24-16 lead at halftime.
“What made the difference between falling behind and playing catch-up, which is not our forte, is the rebounding,” Hamilton said. “In the second quarter, we got beat on the boards, and that’s the difference in the ballgame. If we keep it close, then I can potentially mix my zone and man-to-man (defense).”
Morgan Wood got things going for the Mohawks, scoring eight of her team-high 14 points in the third quarter, and it helped get Waldron out to a 32-16 lead. The Jets then converted 7-of-9 free throws late in the third, but a 3-pointer from Wood made it a 39-24 Mohawks lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Waldron scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and then both teams went to their benches to finish out the game.
Johnson led Hauser with a game-high 16 points. Hasler added six.
“Waldron is a really good team, but we have to defend our house,” Hamilton said. “(Today) we’ll back after it and get ready for Southwestern (Shelby) on Monday.”
