By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Playing No. 3-ranked (Class 5A) Emporia for the second time in its first five games, Hayden's girls basketball team showed showed improvement in Tuesday night's Centennial League opener against the Spartans.
But the Wildcats' fourth-quarter rally wasn't enough to keep Emporia from improving to a perfect 7-0 (1-0 in the league) with a 43-34 home win.
Hayden girls basketball coach Carvel Reynoldson talks to his Wildcats during Tuesday's 43-34 Centennial League loss at Emporia. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Emporia, which had beat Hayden 52-25 in the second round of the Paul Terry Classic early in the season, built double-digit advantages in each of the first three quarters.
But after trailing by 13 points (32-19) late in the third quarter, Hayden (3-2, 0-1) used a 10-0 run, capped by a Brylee Meier 3-pointer, to cut the Spartans lead to 32-29 with 5:43 remaining.
Emporia regained control at that point, however, using an 8-1 run to build its lead back to 40-30 and the Wildcats got no closer than eight the rest of the way.
"We played better tonight, but it's still frustrating for me and the girls because we think we can compete with them if we play better,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. "We got ourselves in too big of a hole.''
Emporia jumped out to a 13-2 advantage at the start of the game before Meier hit a 3-pointer to cut Hayden's first-quarter deficit to 13-5.
The Spartans led 21-9 in the second quarter and took a 23-14 lead into the locker room at the half.
Emporia led by 13 twice in the third quarter before Hayden was able to whittle away at its deficit after Emporia 6-foot senior standout Rebecca Snyder picked up her fourth foul and left the game.
Snyder, who finished the night with 19 points and 12 rebounds, returned to the game after Hayden got within three and scored seven points over the final 5:23.
"When you guard a person like that it's got to be a whole team effort and there would be times we'd get too locked in on our man and that kills us when somebody's that good,'' Reynoldson said.
Meier, a 6-0 sophomore, led Hayden with 17 points and sophomore Norma Greco added nine points, but no other Wildcats had more than four points.
Hayden will face another tough Centennial League test on Friday, hosting No. 7-ranked (6A) Washburn Rural. The Junior Blues opened Centennial League play with a 50-9 romp past Junction City on Tuesday.
Emporia will travel to Topeka High on Friday.
EMPORIA GIRLS 43, HAYDEN 34
Hayden 5 9 9 11 -- 34
Emporia 13 10 9 11 -- 43
Hayden (3-2, 0-1) -- Lenherr 0-0 0-0 0, Sandstrom 2-6 0-0 4, Fulton 0-1 0-0 0, Meier 5-12 5-6 17, Greco 3-8 1-2 9, Grunert 0-1 1-2 1, Cruz 0-0 0-0 0, Reid 0-0 0-0 0, Huscher 1-4 0-0 3, Watts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-32 7-10 34.
Emporia (7-0, 1-0) -- Kirmer 1-11 0-0 2, Barnett 0-4 1-3 1, DeWitt 2-7 0-0 5, Shivley 1-4 0-0 3, Snyder 7-16 5-9 19, Hamilton 1-2 0-1 2, Peak 0-3 0-0 0, Gutierrez 2-2 0-0 5, Pearson 2-4 2-2 6. Totals 16-53 8-15 34.
3-point goals -- Hayden 4 (Greco 2, Meier 2), Emporia 3 (DeWitt, Shivley, Gutierrez). Total fouls -- Hayden 15, Emporia 14. Fouled out – none. Technical foul -- none.
