For the Howell girls basketball team, it’s so far, so good.
The Highlanders are 2-0 after the first week of play, beating Williamston and Farmington Hills Mercy.
The Mercy game ws a nail-biter, with Howell comng out on top 60-59, thanks to 34 points by sophomore Gabby Piepho, who sank a school-record eight 3-pointers in the game.
The Highlanders look to stay unbeaten tonight against another perennial contender in Midland Dow, in a game that will be broadcast on The Livingston Post starting at around 6:50 p.m. Click here for the link.
“They’re a pretty good team,” Howell coach Jason Piepho said. “They have a girl, Klaire Caldwell, who has some Division II offers, and a sophomore point guard (Melanie Kolnitys) who was a second team all-league pick as a freshman. So those are the key players we’ve got to worry about, but they play hard and they shoot a lot of 3s.”
Both Howell and Dow (1-1) rely on speed and 3-pointers to offset a lack of height. Jason Piepho also insists that his daughter, Gabby, is not the only offensive threat for his team.
“We;’re definitely not a one-dimensional team,” the coach said. “Every time someone’s tried to focus on Gabby, it opens things up for everybody else, because we always have five people on the court who can score. I think that makes us a challenge for teams.”
Another positive for the Highlanders is playing at home as opposed to a long bus ride to Midland on a school night.
“We haven’t had to get on a bus yet,” Piepho said. “It’s been nice to have the first three at home. We’ve had two really good practices lreadiong tp thisgame, and we’re hoping that momentum carries into (tonight) and we put up another good showing.”
