Huskies take down Hornets

Published 4:12 pm Thursday, January 5, 2023

By Lauren Sexton

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By LAUREN SEXTON | Sports Reporter

HELENA — Not only did the Helena Huskies earn redemption from a 16-point loss to county foe Chelsea on Wednesday, Jan. 4, but in a tightly-contested 34-29 victory, head coach Alan Skinner picked up his 100th career win.

During the historic night, Helena jumped out to a 14-7 advantage at the end of the opening quarter and protected the lead from there en route to the five-point win. 

“I am proud of my girls,” Skinner said about his 100th career win. “They completed hard all night, took care of the ball, guarded their tails off and came out with a win against a really good, tough, sound team.”

Helena started the opening quarter strong, with a dominant presence in the paint. The Huskies knocked down 14 points while limiting the Hornets to seven points.

Chelsea fought back before the first half concluded, however, thanks to an aggressive defense that limited the Huskies to two points in the second quarter. However, the Huskies still maintained a slight 16-13 lead at the half thanks to the defense only giving up six points.

Sophia Brown carried the Hornets in the first half with three baskets knocked down inside the arc and one outside the arc.

Madison Moore and Olivia Pryor both tagged on two points each.

Helena’s Olivia Johnigan 3-pointers and one other made shot, while Mallory Rhodes followed with two field goals totaling four points. Jatericca Moody tacked on two points to Helena’s first-half score. 

The defensive battle that took place in the second quarter carried into the second half as both scored six or less in the third quarter. 

The Huskies, however, were able to extend the lead by one more point with a 6-5 advantage in the period, which gave them a 22-18 lead going to the final quarter. 

The Huskies allowed nine, which was the most Chelsea scored in any period, but 12 more from the Helena offense helped put the game away and prevent the comeback attempt.

Johnigan put together an impressive night for the Huskies, leading all scorers with 17 points. Amari Grant added eight points for Helena, while Maollory Rhodes finished with four. 

Chelsea was led by Brown with an impressive 14 points, while Madison Moore finished with six points.

Chelsea travels to Hewitt-Trussville on Friday, Jan. 6, while Helena will host Northridge.

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