Basketball Teams Win at Heartland Christian
The St. Francis High School basketball teams won both varsity games at Heartland Christian School in Colby on Friday evening, January 29th. The junior varsity girls lost their game (two quarters only) by a score of 23-17. There was no junior varsity boys game.
The girls varsity game was a close contest throughout the first half, but the relentless defensive pressure applied by the Lady Indians eventually took a toll and the Lady Indians cruised to a well deserved win. The Lady Indians led 12-6 after one quarter of play. In the second quarter, the Lady Indians full court pressure caused numerous turnovers by the Lady Crusaders resulting in several easy baskets for the Lady Indians. The Lady Crusaders kept the game close by hitting almost all of their attempted shots in the quarter. St. Francis held a slim 25-22 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lady Indians turned up the defensive intensity, created several Heartland Christian turnovers, and converted them to quick scores. The Lady Indians built a 31-22 lead with six minutes remaining in the quarter and led 40-28 at the end of the period.
In the fourth period, the Lady Indians extended the lead to 48-30 with 6:15 to go. Continuing to score some baskets off steals and getting several treys from Jodi Hilt, the Lady Indians cruised to a 58-33 win.
Sophomore Rebekah Grace led Heartland Christian in scoring with 12 points. Jodie Hilt scored a season high 27 points to lead the Lady Indians. Christina Hilt added 14 points and Mikaela Grace contributed eight.
The Indians held a slim one point lead (21-20) after one quarter of close action. The Indians took their first three point lead with 3:36 remaining in the half. The later part of the second quarter proved to be the difference in the game as the Indians made several good plays and extended the lead to 35-25 by halftime.
In the third quarter, the Indians held a 46-35 lead. Midway through the quarter, a disputed non-call resulted in a technical on the Indian bench. The Crusaders used the free throws and resulting possession to trim the lead. Matt Raile restored the Indian momentum with a dunk in the period and St. Francis held on to a 53-44 lead after three quarters of play.
The fourth quarter was also highly contested. Matt Raile gave the Indians a little more breathing room when he hit two consecutive treys to give the Indians a 65-50 advantage with 4:40 to go. The Crusaders cut the lead to nine points (67-59) with 1:33 to go. Needing to place the Indians on the line, one of the Crusaders outstanding players (Daniel Grace) fouled to stop the clock not knowing he already had four fouls. Heartland Christian was left with four players to finish the contest. The Indians won the game by a score of 69-59.
Clint Goossen (6'3" junior) led the Crusaders with 25 points. Senior Daniel Grace added 19 and Jeremy Myers contributed 10. Seniors Matt Raile and Trent Raile each scored more than 20 points for the Indians.
Coach Beims had the following comments on the boys game.
"We had no idea what to expect going to Heartland Christian. I turned out that they had a couple kids that could really play, and they gave us all we wanted. I thought we played pretty well in an unfamiliar environment against a team that, had we come out flat, could have beat us. Our defense is continuing to improve, but I really thought what gave us the win Friday night was senior leadership. For better or worse, our team revolves around Matt and Trent Raile. I thought those two guys in particular really stepped up their game on both ends of the floor when we needed it most. We need more of that “never say die” kind of attitude around our team, and I like the tone they’re setting."
Next action for the teams will be on Tuesday, February 2nd, when the teams travel to Brewster.
To see more photos of the Heartland Christian games, click on the "Photos" link to the left and then click on "HS Girls Basketball @ Heartland Christian-1/29/10" or "HS Boys Basketball @ Heartland Christian-1/29/10."
