Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Husky girls basketball team lost 52-39 to Valley Catholic on the road on Dec. 20.
“They’re a real up-tempo team,” Coach Jason Gorham said of the Valiants. “We came out and turned the ball over a couple times early.”
Valley Catholic took advantage of Sweet Home’s miscues and built a 10-point lead in the first quarter, Gorham said. “We played better after we got settled in and adjusted to their press.”
The Huskies cut the lead to just four by halftime. The Huskies played about the same through the third quarter, ending with another four-point deficit.
Valley Catholic held a five- to six-point lead through the fourth quarter. When the Huskies started fouling late in the fourth, Valley Catholic started hitting foul shots to build the winning margin. The Huskies tried to pressure the ball at the end, but Valley Catholic broke through to hit a couple of easy shots.
At this point in the season, Gorham said, “Obviously, I wish we were a little further along” with a couple more wins, but the team is coming along and played well against both Valley Catholic and Lebanon in its last two games.
“We’ve had three to four games where late in the game it’s been kind of pivotal moments, but we just haven’t done a good job getting the ball into the basket,” Gorham said.
Against Valley Catholic, Hannah Swanson led scoring with 16 points.
Nicki Aerni shot well and added 11 points for one of her best games so far this year, Gorham said. She broke out as a shooter and scorer.
Sara Brocard played good defense, taking out Valley Catholic’s post player, Gorham said. She was up and down the court holding off the Valley Catholic transition game.