HARTLAND — The Hartland girls basketball is blazing new trails this season.
The Eagles (18-1) are in the state’s top 10 in Class A, their 18 wins are close to, if not the school record, and they’re playing in their first KLAA championship game tonight.
“It’s never happened in Hartland history,” senior Lexey Tobel said. “No girls team has ever been there, so it’s good for our school to get our name out there. It’s good for us to experience it as well, getting to another championship, playing for another trophy, and that’s good.”
The Eagles travel to Wayne Memorial tonight in a bid to win their first KLAA basketball championship.
The game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post beginning at around 7 p.m.
The Zebras (15-3) rolled past Novi, 55-38, for the Kensington Conference title on Monday.
They were led by Camree Gregg, who scored 32 points, and Jeanae Terry, who added 13.
“They have two very good basketball players, and the rest are just athletic,” Hartland coach Don Palmer said. “If it gets into a running and jumping contest, it won’t end well for us. You’ve got to concentrate on (Gregg and Terry), and then you have to rebound. I’m concerned that if they happen to miss, that might be their best offense.”
The Eagles will be without key reserve Arianna Knasiak, who is on a previously scheduled choir trip. “It’s a school trip and it’s one of her passions,” Palmer said. “I don’t have a problem with it. She told me months ago. We knew it was coming.”
That will likely mean more minutes for Andrea Everett, who is the Eagles’ fifth starter, and Emily Messner.
Hartland will be counting on them to help out Whitney Sollom in the post. Rebounding, Palmer said, will be key.
“It’s important that, one, Whitney holds her own, and, two, Whitney doesn’t get in foul trouble,” Palmer said.
The Eagles, of course, aren’t without weapons. Sollom is a threat inside and Tobel likely opened the Zebras’ eyes with her near-perfect night from outside the arc against Howell. Tobel was 8-for-9 in 3-pointers, finishing with 24 points.
The Eagles also have used point guard Michelle Moraitis as a defensive weapon, putting her on opponents’ top scorer and helping deny that player the ball.
“It’s going to come down to the kids off the bench,” Tobel said. “Everyone’s going to have to contribute. It’s not going to be a one-man show.”
Not only that, but the Eagles are eager to read different scripts.
“Paul Ash said after his win against Northville (Tuesday) that it was very refreshing to play someone not named Howell or Hartland, and I feel the same way,” Palmer said.
“We’re excited. It’s an opportunity, and we’re a good team, too,” he added. “There just won’t be a margin of error. We’ll have to play, not error-free, but we can’t get caught up in just going up and down the court.”
