Howell girls outlast Brighton 43-32 — with archived broadcast

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HOWELL — The 2016-17 season is halfway over in girls basketball, but for Brighton and Howell, there’s still a long way to go.

After getting blown out at Hartland Tuesday, Howell got its composure and rebounding under control on Friday, pulling away from Brighton to take a 43-32 victory.

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For Brighton, which saw its offense all but disappear in a critical second quarter, it was another lesson for a young team.

“We got real stagnant on offense, and that’s a sign of young kids, fear of the moment, that’s all we can figure,” Brighton coach Paul Ash said. “We’re supposed to have great movement without the ball, and we didn’t do that.”

The Highlanders, meanwhile, got back to what lifted them to an 8-0 start.

“We were definitely more calm,” Howell’s Lexie Miller said. “We didn’t run all the sets  we were supposed to (on Tuesday) and got all jumbled up. … We did a better job rebounding, too. We had five rebounds on Tuesday, and you can’t do that and win a game.”

Like they did a week before against Hartland, Brighton battled Howell to a draw after the first period, only to see things fall apart in the second.

“We weren’t moving,” Brighton’s Julianna Pietila said. “(Howell) got in the gaps when we drove and no one moved on offense. If we would have moved on the drive, we would have had shooters open.”

The Bulldogs got back to that in the third quarter, when Dana Schemanske mounted a one-woman comeback, scoring 10 points.

“Someone probably should guarded her,” Howell coach Tim Olszewski said, laughing. “We knew where their shooters were going to be. We just have to do a better job (on defense),

Hartland pulled out a 29-22 win over Grand Blanc to stay in first place in the KLAA West at 5-0. Howell (9-1 overall) is 4-1 and Brighton (8-3) is 3-2.

Pietila finished with 15 points for the Bulldogs, who are off until next Friday,

“You just have to come back and fight,” she said. “WE have five practices before our next game, so we have to come out and push it.”

Howell had three players in double figures. Miller had 13 points, while Leah Weslock and Amanda Corsten had 12 apiece.

“We’ve played together since we were in the fourth grade,” Corsten said, “so the chemistry is always there. We know where each other are (on the court), and whomever can get the points can get the points. It doesn’t really matter.”

Olszewski, meanwhile, was relieved.

“I think that’s a good word,” he said. “We’re glad it’s over. We were anxious to play it. We’re glad we got the W and now want to fovus on building off this and keep getting better.”

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