On paper, it had the makings of a competitive and intriguing matchup, as the St. Cloud Lady Bulldogs (13-2) and Hagerty (12-1) came into Tuesday afternoon’s game with just three combined losses.
But senior Hannah Kohn and the sharp shooting Huskies had other ideas. Kohn dumped in 33 points as Hagerty knocked off St. Cloud, 75-37. Kohn hit nine of 18 three-pointers – including five during a 17-point fourth quarter. It was just one of several outstanding performances by the Huskies who shot 50% and made 16 of 33 shots from beyond the arc.
“There is not a whole lot to say about this one, they didn’t do anything we were expecting,” St. Cloud coach Chad Ansbaugh said. “They drove the ball inside and then hit the open player for a three-pointer. We simply didn’t execute on offense or defense, which tells me we did not do a good job coaching tonight. This ugly performance was 100 percent on me.”
Whether it was all coaching or not, it may not have mattered. Hagerty came into the game ranked 5th in the state in Class 7A and led from start to finish. Taking advantage of several turnovers, the Huskies got 10 points from Kiara Harris and jumped out to a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Haley Collins hit a couple of shots in the paint as St. Cloud closed the gap to 22-18 at 3:56 left in the half, but the Bulldogs went scoreless the rest of the period. Kohn would score five points in the period and Hagerty would build the lead to 33-18 at intermission.
The Huskies defense would hold St. Cloud to six points in the third and hit seven of 16 shots in the period to make it 50-24 after three. It was all Kohn and Hagerty in the final stanza. She would score 17 points in the period, making five three-pointers including four in a row at one point. Hagerty, who only played seven players in the game, would score 25 points in the period.
Emily Lockey led St. Cloud with 16 points, including 10 in the final quarter. Collins had eight points and eight rebounds.The Lady Bulldogs were just 13 for 44 from the field (29.5%).
“Right now, we are just not a very mature team, and I don’t mean in terms of upperclassmen,” Ansbaugh added. “We are spending way too much time complaining or pointing fingers when that energy should be directed to playing hard basketball. We have some tough games coming up and we are going to need to grow up a little.”
St. Cloud returns to action Thursday with a road game at Palm Bay Heritage (5-5).