The Hartland girls basketball team has learned a lot since its only loss of the season, which came at Howell last month.
“I think it was a dose of reality,” Hartland coach Don Palmer said. “I think those kids have won so many games, it was almost like they thought they were entitled to a win, and that’s not how it works.”
Instead, the Eagles went back to work, winning their last five in a row going into tonight’s home game against Salem.
The game will be broadcast by The Livingston Post starting at around 6:50 p.m. Click here for a link.
Hartland (11-1, 8-1 KLAA West) takes on a Salem team (6-6, 3-6) that’s coming off a 77-39 beating at Howell on Tuesday, a game that saw Salem coach Rod Wells ejected in the final minutes. Assistant Derrick Jordan will take his place.
“Their new coaching staff has just dramatically changed the culture there,” Palmer said. “I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen on tape. They’re playing with a chip on their shoulder and sometimes, I hate t0 admit it, we daydream out there a little bit.”
Sophomore Madison Morson is a key for the Rocks. She scored 23 points against Howell on Tuesday. Senior guard Shahd Ali Bakkar also plays a key role for Salem.
Hartland beat Salem easily the first time they played this season, a 60-25 victory at Salem.
The Eagles, ranked third in the state in Division 1; Howell is unranked) will see the Highlanders again at Hartland on Tuesday, but it seems Palmer and his players have been busy absorbing the lessons that came from that loss.
“I think we’re going to have to win out to get a tie for hte league lead, and that’s easy to say and hard to do,” Palmer said. “(The loss) wasn’t a shock to me. Their losses have been against great competition. And they have Maeve (St. John), who can determine if they 0lay fast or slow. And that’s a great weapon to have.”
The algs have plenty of weapons too, including Lauren Sollom, the team’s leading scorer, to outside shooters Gracey Metz and Leah Lappin, to point guard Amanda Roach.
if all goes well, the Eagles will have a chance to work on the lessons learned before putting them to the test on Tuesday, when they play host to Howell and seek to gain a measure of revenge.
But first, Salem awaits.
