HARTLAND — In a contest of speed vs. height, height proved to be the key for Hartland on Thursday night.
The Eagles used their height advantage to pull away from Howell in the second half of a 58-50 victory in the KLAA West opener for both teams.
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Tied at 27 at halftime, Hartland used its advantage in the third quarter, outscoring Howell 21-13 to take the lead for good.
“Their kids hit some shots,” Howell coach Tim Olsewski said. “You see them on film go 0-for-12 and you think, in this situation, let them shoot. And they hit them.”
In all, nine players scored for Hartland, led by 6-3 junior center Sarah Rekowski, who had 19 points.
“They really got me the ball,” Rekowski said. “We were a lot more rushed in the Wayne Memorial game (Tuesday, a 51-39 loss). But this time we looked even though they were pressuring us. We were looking for the open girl. We took our time.”
In the first half, Rekowski had 10 points and junior Aubree Meyer, who is 6-0, added five, all on layups or jumpers from inside 10 feet.
“(Meyer) played great tonight and every single player who stepped off the bench played great tonight,” Hartland coach Reyna Luplow said. “It was the best team win we could ask for going into Christmas break.”
The Highlanders were of a different mind, holding a lengthy team meeting after the game.
“We just didn’t do what we had to do,” said Howell senior Sophie Daugard, who had a game-high 22 points. including a 3-pointer at the buzzer. “When coach says we need more rebounding we have to have more people rebounding. You’re not going to hit all of your shots, so you have to get the rebounds, and we didn’t offensively rebound at all.”
The Eagles had nine players in the scoring column, which kept the Highlanders guessing throughout the second half.
“I thought Gabby Piepho (14 points) did a great job attacking and keeping us going,” Olszewski said. “Sophie and I thought Molly (Duerloo) did a phenomenal job. But we had too many letdowns in too many different areas, and you can’t do it on their home court where their kids are hitting the shots.”
The game was the last of 2022 for Howell, which will participate in a pair of scrimmages during the holiday break.
Hartland will play a pair of games at an invitation at Milford next week.
“Since we went to a 22-game schedule (this season), I wanted to make sure we stayed fresh during the break,” Luplow said.
But the Hartland coach, who wore a Christmas-themed jacket on the sideline, was feeling the holiday cheer after her team’s performance.
“We played tough from start to finish, and I couldn’t ask for more,” she said.
