Huskies run past Comets

The long ball was keeping Cardinal in the game through the first half.

Eighteen of the 25 first-half points that the Comet girls? basketball team scored on Tuesday night came from behind the 3-point line, and they were sticking around against Highland at the break. Despite sticking within nine points, the Huskies didn?t allow Cardinal to stick around in the second half, utilizing a 15-5 run to open the third quarter and cruising to a 79-45 victory.

?We sat out there and played good defense, and they just made good shots,? Highland head coach Jody Fink said. ?There was nothing against our defense, but we just went down and worked hard to get the ball back. (Cardinal) hit six 3-pointers in the first half. We didn?t cover up well on our help-side defense.?

The Huskies improved to 2-0 on the year with the victory, and were paced by seniors Briana Davis and Cheyann Adamson, who each put in 23 points for Highland.

Junior Kelsey Hora pitched in 18 points to help the Huskies to the win.

Davis did much of her damage in the first half, as she scored 11 first-quarter points to lead the Huskies early.

?After the first few went in I was in a good mood,? Davis said. ?They just kept going in.?

After taking a 24-16 lead after the first quarter, the scoring slowed down for both teams, as Highland took a 34-25 lead into halftime, with Davis leading the game with 13 points.

?They were able to give her the ball, and she has a great turnaround jumpshot,? Fink said. ?She sat there and was under control and patient. She does a lot of good things. She?s undersized, but plays a lot bigger than she is.?

After halftime, Adamson started knocking down her own 3-pointers, nailing four in the third quarter to propel a 15-5 run. Adamson scored 14 points in that period, and 17 total points in the second half, as it seemed like a switch flipped for the senior.

?I knew that after the first half I was struggling with my 3s, but when I hit my first two in the third quarter, I knew I wasn?t too tired to keep shooting,? Adamson said. ?Thankfully they kept going in.?

Fink said that having a scorer like Adamson on the court at all times is going to be crucial to the Huskies? success this season.

?It?s great,? Fink said. ?That?s the leadership of playing for four years. She has the confidence to be able to step up and do that. I told her that she might get tired, but there are times that we are going to need to ride her for as long as we can. She?s a shooter, and if she?s off, she?ll shoot until she?s on. And when she?s on, she?ll shoot until she?s off.?

The Huskies used the offensive output in the second half to cruise to a victory, but Fink is still looking to continue improving his team?s depth.

?We have to focus on our depth,? Fink said. ?We have seven girls playing consistently, but we have to get an eighth or a ninth in there somewhere. We have a lot of girls, and a bunch are getting JV time, but we have to get some varsity time in there too.?

Highland will focus its attention on Wapello, who comes to Riverside on Friday for a girls?-boys? doubleheader.