After back-to-back Foothill League losses to Canyon and Valencia, the Hart Hawks picked up a much-need league 72-39 win over the Golden Valley Grizzlies on the road to climb the standings as they sit a game behind fourth place.
“I feel like our girls responded really well in the second half, and our energy was really great,” Hart head coach Zach Koebel said. “Some of our experience with the varsity level kind of took over and it was it was a nice win for us.”
In the first quarter, the Grizzlies and Hawks dueled, with neither able to pull away for the lead.
With a 15-10 lead in the second quarter, the Hawks saw their lead diminish following a Grizzlies’ 6-0 scoring run highlighted by a Brighton Blythe three.
But after a timely timeout from Koebel, the Hawks played cleanly and lock-down defense to take back the lead with a 19-5 scoring run of their own to finish the first half ahead, 34-21.
Following halftime, the Hawks’ offense kept up the pressure and extended their lead over Golden Valley.
After the game, Koebel added that the team’s ability to score on transition was the difference maker as the Grizzlies weren’t able to keep up with the Hawks’ fast-paced tempo.
“I thought they did a really good job of getting out in transition and looking for each other, and looking ahead,” he said. “We’ve been working on it all year and it’s something we’re getting better and betterevery day.”
The Hawks were led in scoring by senior Chloe Judd, who dropped 14 points in the win as eight Hart players contributed on the scoring sheet for Koebel.
As for Golden Valley, Blythe did all she could, leading her team with 19 points.
With the win, the Hawks remained a game behind the fourth-place West Ranch Wildcats and kept their playoff hopes alive.
The Hawks will have a favorable schedule for the final three league games of the season as they’ve beaten two out of the three teams remaining.
Koebel is grateful to pick up a league win over Golden Valley and expects to keep his team grounded. The Hawks will look to finish the year strong and fight for one of the four automatic playoff berths the Foothill League offers.
“A win in the Foothill is a good win,” he said after the team’s win against Golden Valley. “Either at home or on the road. [Golden Valley] had their band going and they had a nice student section, but it was a fun game.”
The Hawks play again in the team’s final home game of the season Friday against the Saugus Centurions while the Grizzlies head toward Canyon for a matchup against the Cowboys.
Both games tip off at 5 p.m.
After Tuesday night’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Saugus 46, West Ranch 30: The Lady Centurions (18-8, 8-2) completed the home win over the West Ranch Wildcats (18-7, 4-6).
The Centurions will look to continue their winning ways on the road against the Hawks at Hart High School while the Wildcats match up with the Vikings at Valencia.
Both games tip off at 5 p.m.
Valencia 94, Castaic 16: The Lady Vikings (21-4, 9-0) are one win away from clinching the Foothill League title after a victory over the Coyotes (6-16, 0-10).
Sophomore guard Kamilla Basyrova, who just crossed the 1,000 career-point mark, had another big performance in the win over Castaic as he recorded 28 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Vikings will look to claim the league crown on Friday at home against the West Ranch Wildcats with tip-off at 5 p.m. The Coyotes will look to bounce back on Monday in league play against the Hawks at Hart.
Photos below from Hart’s win over Golden Valley:
