Highland boys open year with win

The Highland boys? team thrived on the 3-point shot last season, but in the season-opener this year, the Huskies? play on the inside gave them an edge.

Led by senior Tereze Lanfair?s 15 points, the Highland boys? basketball team opened up their year with a 66-47 victory over Cardinal, a game that featured strong defense from the Huskies.

?I thought we were disciplined to start the game on defense, but it was the opposite on offense,? Highland boys? basketball head coach Marcus Hall said. ?We were trying to jam it in and be too quick. In the second half, we let it come to us.?

Highland?s defense was stout to start the game, not allowing a point for the first four minutes of the game, as they jumped out to a 9-0 lead.

As Cardinal got on the board, the Huskies weren?t able to pull away, keeping the scoring tight in the second quarter to make it a 29-19 halftime score.

?They didn?t score for the first three or four minutes, but when they started scoring, we were overreacting to fakes and getting out of position,? Hall said. ?While we saw the right things tonight, against the best teams you have to do it every time. When you don?t, you are down a 15-2 run. ?

In the second half, Lanfair broke out, posting nine third-quarter points, as Highland outscored the Comets 24-11 in the third frame.

?We have several starter quality players, but coming off the bench, he?s a tough matchup,? Hall said. ?He makes something happen energy-wise. In transition, he can cover a lot of ground.?

Highland cruised for the rest of the game, en route to the 19-point victory, but the feeling around the team was that the defense needs to continue to be strong.

?We have to sit down and play better defense,? Highland junior Trent Lasek said. ?We might not always make shots, but one thing that is always there is defense.?

Lasek finished the game with a solid all-around effort, scoring nine points and recording seven assists, five rebounds and four steals.

?Trent can be a pretty good 1-on-1 player for us and score a lot of points, but that would cut in half his power, which is his court intelligence,? Hall said. ?When we have guys who are selling out and running the floor, he?s able to find them and be an unselfish player.?

Highland will take on Wapello at home on Friday night. Wapello is coming off a season-opening 67-55 loss to IMS.