Holding off Halls at the end, HVA girls extended streak
HALLS — Playing nip-and-tuck for most of the game, Hardin Valley Academy versus Halls girls came down to the buzzer Wednesday night, Jan. 4, at HHS.
Down one point, the Lady Red Devils grabbed a missed free throw with just 5.5 seconds to play, as HHS guard Sophie Tharpe — who scored a game-high 20 points — missed a 10-foot jumper just before the buzzer. The Lady Hawks survived, 54-53, to win their eighth straight game, improving to 13-5 overall.
“I can’t say enough about our girls’ toughness down the stretch,” HVA head coach Jennifer Galloway said. “We fought through some in-game adversity.
“We fought through some things that were out of our control in the game,” she added. “Coming into the game, we were down a few people, but our girls just fought, and I’m really proud of how in each game they’re getting tougher and better.”
Gracie Waite, HVA junior wing, scored a team-high 12 points, as did sophomore post Kamiyah Love, who also pulled down two key defensive rebounds while blocking a shot — all late in the fourth quarter.
“I though we had some girls come up with some big rebounds,” Galloway said. “And we had some big stops right there” at the end.
Lexi Hall, senior wing, added 10 points for HVA.
“Halls is a very good team, they’re a very veteran team and a very well-coached team,” Galloway said.
