By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
When Hayden and Spring Hill met in the Wildcats' season opener it took a dramatic comeback from a 19-point deficit as well as an overtime period for Hayden to outlast the Broncos.
Hayden poses for a team picture Saturday after winning the Wellsville Top Gun Tournament championship with a 48-39 win over Spring Hill. [Twitter/Hayden Girls Basketball]
Saturday's rematch wasn't quite as dramatic, but even more important, with No. 10-ranked (Class 4A) Hayden taking control in the second half to win the Wellsville Top Gun Tournament championship with a 48-39 win over the Broncos.
With Saturday's win Hayden avenged a loss to Spring Hill in the 2022 Wellsville championship game.
Hayden trailed by a point (11-10) at the end of the first quarter and led by just a point (18-17) at halftime before outscoring the Broncos by a 30-22 margin in the second half.
"I thought we really guarded well and when we got the lead really played with poise and made smart decisions,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said.
Sophomore Brylee Meier led Hayden with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while sophomore Norma Greco added 11 points, sophomore Kaliya Fulton 10 points and junior Lauren Sandstrom nine.
Meier, Fulton and Sandstrom were all named to the Top Gun all-tournament team.
Hayden will return to Centennial League competition next Friday, hosting Manhattan.
HAYDEN GIRLS 48, SPRING HILL 39
Hayden 10 8 11 19 -- 48
Spring Hill 11 6 6 16 -- 39
Hayden (8-4) -- Sandstrom 4 0-0 9, Fulton 2 6-8 10, Huscher 1 0-0 2, Meier 7 0-0 16, Greco 2 6-8 11, Grunert 0 0-0 0, Lenherr 0 0-0 0, Reid 0 0-0 0, Watt 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 12-16 48.
Spring Hill (9-5) -- Bond 1 1-5 3, Weber 7 4-7 22, Buscher 3 0-3 6, Suter 0 0-0 0, LaPlante 0 1-4 1, Herman 2 2-2 7, Honey 0 0-0 0, Todd 0 0-0 0, Hill 0 0-0 0, Rodden 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 8-21 38.
3-point goals -- Hayden 4 (Meier 2, Greco, Sandstrom), Spring Hill 5 (Weber 4, Herman). Total fouls -- Hayden 17, Spring Hill 7. Fouled out -- Bond, Herman.
