SPARTA — The Highland girls
basketball team honored its seniors before Thursday’s final home game of
the season.
Then the Pleasant Spartans went out and ruined the fun.
Pleasant defeated Highland, 60-43, on an emotional evening at Highland High School.
Defense was the key for Pleasant. The team had its collective eye on Highland’s
best scorer, Kelsey Burt. For the season, she has averaged 12.1 points per game
going into the night, 27 in the previous two games.
On Thursday, she was held to just four.
Another senior, Payton Denman, collected two fouls early and had limited minutes
on the floor.
Fellow senior Shanay Gibson, however, was the one the Spartans should have been
worried about. Gibson lit the scoreboard in the first quarter with three 3-pointers,
ending the night with a season-high 20 points.
“(Gibson) has been playing solid on the defensive end and the offensive
end,” Highland head coach Galen Chapman said. “She’s kept us
in a number of games when we were struggling. But you know, after awhile, you
can’t win with one.”
Pleasant was led by its two starting post players, Lauren Verity and Chelsea
Hilsher, as well as guard Katey Holler. On Thursday, Verity focused on defense,
gathering 10 rebounds and three steals. Hilsher and Holler took turns scoring –– Hilsher
in the paint, and Holler from outside –– to combine for 35 points.
Rebounding was a problem early for the Scots. In the first half, they managed
just three defensive rebounds, whereas Pleasant had six offensive rebounds.
“We weren’t blocking out, and we couldn’t block out,” Chapman
said. “That’s all a part of (Pleasant) playing better defense.”
Before the game, each senior was escorted to the court by family members. It
was an emotional scene for the packed gym to witness, even afterward, when some
seniors clearly had tears in their eyes during the pregame shootaround.
For the full story, click here for the February 11, 2011 e-edition
