By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
After waiting 13 days to get back on the court after their opening game, the Highland Park girls were ready to take it to any opponent.
Kansas City-Turner was the unfortunate team on the receiving end of that pent up energy.
Sophomore Pearmella Carter (24) led Highland Park with 30 points in Thursday's 76-18 win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
In its first home game of the season, Highland Park steamrolled the visiting Lady Golden Bears 76-18 Thursday night as sophomore Pearmella Carter led the Scots with 30 points.
“We were in the lab for 13 days, beating up on each other,” Highland Park coach Rob Brown said. “You could tell the girls were getting tired of playing each other, so they’ve been hungry for this game tonight.”
Although the game got out of hand quickly, Brown said it was a helpful experience.
“This was good for keeping the girls engaged and disciplining them,” Brown said. “We have a young group, so this was good for them to keep them learning and getting good practice reps in.”
The 6-foot-2 Carter overwhelmed the visitors from the opening tip. She hit 10-15 attempts in the first half for 24 points. She even hit a 3-point shot early in the contest.
“Coming in as a freshman, she wouldn’t do that,” Brown said. “But she’s going to show that more this year.”
“I like to score and be aggressive,” Carter said. “I feel like I can use (my size) to get points in the paint.”
Everyone on the Scots’ bench got meaningful minutes against Turner. Nine different players scored.
“Looking back at our bench, it helps to know I can put in a freshman, a sophomore, and not lose a beat,” Brown said. “Getting that good experience for them is valuable. It’s going to help us in the end. It’s a long season. Somebody could get injured, and someone will have to step up.”
Senior Tahtionna Broils scored 9 points for Highland Park in Thurssday's 76-18 win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Freshman Ciara Hartz scored 9 points in Thursday's 76-18 Highland Park win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Carter agreed that getting back on the court was important for the team’s development.
“We can use games like this to work on things we need to get better at,” Carter said. “I like playing with this team because everyone can pass and shares the ball so we can all get shots up. We play well together. We’ve got to get better at running the plays right and not just run the ball up the court.”
The Scots got by Shawnee Mission West in their only other game of the season on Dec. 6. They will get in one more game before the holiday break, a trip to Wyandotte High School on Friday.
“Fortunately, we’ve got another game tomorrow, so we’ve got back-to-back. That’s good for us,” Brown said. “We took a lot from that first game. Now we’ve got to build on this one.
“I love our athleticism and our speed on this team. Everybody one through five can handle the ball. We’ve got shooters all around the court. Our defense is going to be crazy this year. Our hands are going to be all over the place. Defense is going to be our key for us.”
HIGHLAND PARK GIRLS 76, KC TURNER 18
KC Turner 1 5 5 7 -- 18
Highland Park 27 24 16 9 -- 76
KC Turner (0-3) – Ruby 0-2 0-0 0, Lopez 1-5 0-0 , Ollie 0-2 3-6 3, Hanna 3-9 3-6 11, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Boyd 1-5 0-2 2, Henderson 0-1 0-0 0, Marlow 0-0 0-0 0, Gross 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 5-24 6-14 18.
Highland Park (2-0) – Broils 4-5 0-4 9, Rice 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 2-5 2-4 6, Sanders 2-6 2-4 6, Carter 12-18 5-7 30, Paredes 0-0 0-0 0, Kincade 1-1 3-3 5, Hartz 4-12 0-0 9, Grace 3-10 0-0 6, Cosey 1-5 0-2 3, Cooper 1-1 0-0 2, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 30-63 12-24 76.
3-point goals – KC Turner 3 (Hannah 2), Highland Park 4 (Broils 1, Carter 1, Hartz 1, Cosey 1). Total fouls – KC Turner 15, Highland Park 13. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – Ruby 2.
