Girls defeat Shiloh, stay atop 4A-1 West
The Blackhawk girls basketball team came out ice cold in their showdown battle with Shiloh, missing all their outside shots in the first period, but found their range in the second to blow past their rivals and led the rest of the way.
Senior Aidan Dayberry started things off with a heady pass to a wide open senior Ravin Cawthon under the goal for a 2-0 but Shiloh dropped in a trey for a 3-2 lead. Cawthon then returned the favor with a quick pass inside to Dayberry who laid it off the glass for a 4-3 advantage.
The Hawks put up several shots from outside but missed them all, with Shiloh driving through for a pair of layups and a 7-4 lead. Sophomore Sydney Spears then entered the game and promptly scored in the paint. Then, after Dayberry pulled off a sensational shot block on defense, the Hawks pushed the tempo, missed the shot, but Spears was there to corral the miss and put it back in for an 8-7 lead with a minute left. Shiloh then scored a trey and a layup in the last 15 seconds of the quarter to take a 12-8 lead into the second period.
Senior Hayley West came off the bench to start the second period then promptly buried a 3-pointer to cut the gap to 12-11. Shiloh then answered with a layup but Spears hit her third shot to get back to within 1. Junior Lauren Wright then drilled a three from the corner to put the Hawks on top 16-15. Then it was off to the races.
Shiloh hit a free toss, but Dayberry shot a pass into Spears who popped it in for a 18-15 lead. Junior Bella Cates then swiped the ball from Shiloh, leading to a breakaway layup by senior Blakelee Winn, on whom Shiloh played extra tight defense throughout the game and the Hawks led 20-15.
Shiloh dropped in a trey but Dayberry answered right back with a deep shot of her own to maintain the 5-point lead. The guests then sank another trey but Cates answered with the Hawks’ fourth trey and the Hawks stayed ahead 26-21. After the visitors missed three straight free throws, Dayberry tossed in a floater in the lane for a 28-21 advantage.
The private school girls then scored a layup and a free throw to shrink the Hawks’ lead to 4, then Wright scored on a layup for a 30-24 lead. The visitors had 19 seconds to get off a shot before the break, but the Hawks’ defense would not let them shoot before the buzzer. The Hawk comeback quarter saw them outscore Shiloh 22-12.
The two conference rivals battled on even terms in the third quarter, though Shiloh made a run by scoring the first 5 points to cut the Hawk lead to just 30-29. West ripped a trey and after the guests turned the ball over twice, Winn’s 3-pointer got the Hawk led to 7 at 36-29. Shiloh then scored a trey and layup to make another comeback, fighting back to within 2 at 36-34. Winn then pulled off a great steal, driving to sink a layup with less than a second left in the quarter. She was fouled while making her shot, with the senior forward swishing the free shot to send the Hawks into the final period with a 39-34 lead.
Shiloh started the fourth quarter with a layup but the Hawks would connect from behind the arc on four straight shots, three by Cates and one by Winn. Shiloh was held to a trey and two free throws and saw the Hawks get out ahead 51-41 with four minutes left in the game.
Shiloh then scored on a close jumper, but Cawthon got the points right back with a pair of free throws, putting the Hawks safely ahead 53-43 with 3 minutes left. Shiloh made a layup but Dayberry provided an answer with another floater in the lane, keeping the Hawks up by 10 with 2 minutes left. Shiloh made a frenzied attempt to score quickly but the visitors could not score again until a buzzer beater 3-pointer made it in to set the final score at 55-48.
Cates led the scoring with 12 points followed by Winn with 11. Dayberry finished with 9, Spears 8, West 6, Wright 5 and Cawthon 4.
The Lady Hawks have an important road date coming at Harrison Friday. The Goblins currently hold the home field advantage in the district playoffs as they maintain the top league record to date at 6-0. Should the Hawks take Harrison, they will assume the top seed position.