Highland girls hold off Mepo

Everyone held their breath in the final seconds of the game on Friday night.

After a pair of missed free throws, Mediapolis had a chance, down by two, to tie or take the lead, and opted to go for the win with 6.7 seconds left.

As the 3-point attempt went up from the baseline, the home Highland crowd went silent, but erupted when it bounced off the back of the rim and fell without going through the hoop.

?They went for the win,? Highland head coach Jody Fink said. ?They weren?t going for the tie, and we got a hand in the face to adjust the shot. It would have been a tough way to lose. I?m proud of the girls.?

That missed 3-pointer gave Highland its second-straight victory, as they defeated Mediapolis 57-55 and improved the team?s record to 15-4.  The win wraps up a stretch that saw them take on the other top three teams in the conference. However, going 2-1 against Pekin, Lone Tree and Mediapolis doesn?t mean the team is relaxed yet.

?It?s a weight off our shoulders, but we still have Columbus and WACO left,? Highland senior Cheyann Adamson said. ?Columbus will be looking for some revenge on us, so we just have to have our ?A? game.?

After playing to a draw in the first quarter, Highland found its groove in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Bullettes 28-18.

In the fourth quarter, things changed, as a defensive switch allowed Mediapolis to find a rhythm and sneak their way back into the game.

?We switched our defense, and maybe looking back we could have stuck with our 32 (defense) instead of going to man,? Adamson said. ?(The 32) was confusing them, and we found it hard to match up, and they put the shots up before we figured out who was on who.?

Highland withstood the barrage of 3-pointers from Mediapolis, and came away with the home victory thanks to some key free-throw shooting from junior Kelsey Hora, who finished 7-of-8 from the line and 16 points.

?With free throws I?m pretty confident,? Hora said. ?I just have to relax and realize it?s no big deal. It?s just like shooting any other free throw.?

Hora also led the team with eight assists on the night, while Adamson led the team with 17 points in the contest. The senior hit seven of her 11 field goal attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers, while freshman Aly Stokes picked up 12 points and a team-best 13 rebounds.

?For us, it?s a tournament-like atmosphere,? Fink said. ?Pekin is one of the best teams in 2A, and Lone Tree is a good 1A team. Mediapolis is a good 3A team as well. Then we have Columbus (on Tuesday), so it?s a tournament-like atmosphere every game.?

The Huskies are scheduled to travel to Columbus on Tuesday night.