HOPE — At the end of the first quarter, it looked as though Hauser was going to blow out visiting Milan Thursday night, as a 10-0 scoring run near the end of the first eight minutes put the Jets up 20-10.
The Indians had different plans, as they fought their way right back into the game and made it a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way. In the end, however, it was Hauser that hung on for the 53-50 girls basketball win.
“That first quarter was the best we have played all year,” Hauser coach Chad Evans said. “We played well defensively and offensively. That was a great quarter for us.”
The game was tight in the early part of the first, as a Milan basket tied the score at 10-10. From there, it was all Hauser. They ended the quarter with 10 straight points to take a comfortable lead heading into the second quarter.
Some cold Jet shooting, combined with Milan’s Cionna Bailey changed the momentum of the game. Bailey outscored the entire Hauser team in the quarter, scoring seven of her game-high 26 points. Meanwhile, the Jets hit only one field goal while being held to just six points. They still were able to take a 26-21 lead into the locker room at the half, however.
The visiting Indians began the second half on fire. They used a 9-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point lead 30-26. The Jets withstood the run and fought back to take the lead on a steal and layup by freshman Kyliegh Parrott, 32-30. From there, it was nip and tuck for the remainder of the quarter. Milan’s Kacey Pindell was fouled as she shot a desperation three at the buzzer and sank two of three free throws to give the Indians a 39-38 lead heading into the final quarter.
Milan was able to extend its lead back up to four points at 42-38, but then Parrott took over the game for Hauser. She scored the next seven points in the game to give the Jets a 45-42 lead. Milan answered right back with its own six-point run to grab the lead back at 48-45. Parrot was not done as she nailed a three from the left wing to tie the score at 48-48 with 2:15 left in the game. After the Jets got the ball back, it was senior Bree Hadley who closed out the win by hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer and two free throws down the stretch to assure the victory.
“I’m proud of the way we battled back in the fourth quarter. For Kyliegh to play the way she did was great. She is just a ball player. And Shelby did what seniors are supposed to do. She made shots when it mattered. I’m proud of the way she stepped up,” Evans said.
It was Parrott leading the way for Hauser on the night. She scored 18 points, 10 of which came in the final quarter. Hannah Johnson scored 15, and Fugate chipped in 10.
