Same matchup, different place.
That’s what the Hartland girls basketball team faces tonight when the Eagles take on Midland Dow in a Division 1 quarterfinal at Lapeer High School.
Both teams are 23-1 this season, and both were undefeated going into last year’s quarterfinal at Flushing.
The game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post starting at 6:50 p.m. Click here for the link.
“It’s slightly different,” Hartland coach Don Palmer said. “They graduated a couple of good players and so did we. The kid who did the most damage to us is back in Alexa Kolnytis. They’re well-coached, they’re tough and they’re tournament-minded. They were down by six late against Grand Blanc but they have a lot of poise.”
Kolnytis had six 3-pointers and had 29 points as the Chargers outscored Grand Blanc 19-9 in the fourth quarter to take a 56-46 victory.
Palmer compared Kolnytis to Clarkston’s Madison Skorupski, whom the Eagles held to 20 points in last week’s regional final.
Yes, “held” is the operative term in this case. Skorupski had averaged 40 points per game in two previous contests.
As has been the case the second half of the season, senior Emmy Sargeant will be tasked with closely guarding Kolnytis, but the Chargers have other weapons, too.
“They’re a great team,” Hartland senior Lauren Sollom said in a halftime interview. during the Livingston Post’s broadcast of Monday’s Hartland boys game. “They have a lot of shooters. There’s a lot of open drive baskets for them. I think all five starters can shoot, but so can we. It should be a great matchup.”
Last year’s game was a 42-32 Dow win on a night when Hartland’s outside shooting went cold.
To forestall that happening again, the Eagles look for their tenacious defense to create opportunities on offense.
“I think they are very capable of running, and you know, of course, that’s what we like to do,” Palmer said. “That’s what we do best. It’s going to be who enforces their will on whom? I think we have to rebound well and we have to get inside to have a shot here. We had a shot last year, and it didn’t work out, and I think we’ll have a shot (today).”
Palmer says his team is ready for the challenge.
“They know this is the last week of the season,” he said. “I think people are excited, but the point is not to get too excited. Just play your game, but that’s easier said than done, right?
“You’ve got five seniors starting tonight,” Palmer continued. “So I think they’ll put their best effort out there.”
