For the second time in three days, the Hartland girls basketball team is facing a rival for third time this season.
The Eagles are hoping, though, that history doesn’t repeat itself.
On Wednesday, Hartland ousted Brighton after losing to the Bulldogs twice during the regular season.
Tonight, Hartland takes on a Howell team it beat twice during the regular season in a Division 1 district basketball championship game at Fenton High School.
The game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post beginning at 6:50 p.m. Click here for the link.
“For whatever reason, it’s a difficult thing,” Hartland coach Mike McKay said of attempting a season three-peat. “It’s one of those things you encounter in sports, and at any level it’s a hard task to do. But hopefully our girls will be ready.”
Howell coach Jason Piepho says his team has evolved in the second half of the season.
“I think we’ve gotten better every game” down the stretch, he said. “If we can continue to play like we have against Saline, Belleville, Salem and Canton, we can continue that momentum.”
Hartland will likely go back to the lineup that featured Emma Alexander, who scored 18 points in her first varsity start on Wednesday, and Sarah Rekowski, a 6-3 post player who missed both Howell games while recovering from knee surgery.
But the Highlanders will have a different look from the beginning of the season, with changes on a roster that was unchanged during the season.,
“We were leaning on Allie (Farr) and Gabby (Piepho) so much (defenses) were able to really focus on those two,” Jason Piepho said. “But, right now, Kylie (Pung), Hannah (Ralko), Lexi (Le) and M.J (Mikus) are playing as well as they have, And they’re hitting big shots.”
Past is rarely prologue in the postseason, and while Hartland looks to resume a string of district titles interruptod by H0well last year, McKay says in the end, one thing matters.
“We’ve seen Howell a few times this season, and we’ve picked up a few things,” McKay said. “But what it’s going to come down to is the players executing. How well we rebound and defend will be key.”
