18TH DISTRICT TOURNEY: Lady Hawks fall to Hart

The Lady Hawks’ dreams of an 18th District championship ended in defeat Tuesday at Greensburg.

Photo by Leonard VanMeter

Lady Hawks Ivy Brown, left, and Alexis Brewer were named to the regular season All-District and All-Region girls’ basketball teams. Brewer was named also to the All-District Tournament Team.

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The third-seeded LaRue team fell 59-53 to the second-seeded Hart County Lady Raiders in the opening round of play.

Hart County led briefly in the first half, 3-2, but LaRue took charge and quickly gained a 7-point lead. Hart rallied, tying the game at 24-all at halftime.

Freshman guard Alexis Brewer, still recovering from a broken nose suffered three weeks ago, led all scorers with 23 points and three rebounds.

LaRue County sophomore wing Ivy Brown had 14 rebounds, and a game-high three assists. The usually high-scoring Lady Hawk was limited to seven points.

“We had some defensive breakdowns and they made us pay every time we had one,” said Lady Hawk Coach Travis Wootton. “Fifty-three points was good enough to win the game but we didn't do what we needed to defensively. They did a great job of defending Ivy, but Alisha (Durbin) and Alexis (Brewer) picked up the slack offensively.”

Durbin, a junior forward, had a big night with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Haley Holt added five points and two rebounds; Allison Evans scored three and had two rebounds.

Wootton said overall, the season was good for the Lady Hawks, with a 17-11 record and the break of a 16-year losing streak at Hart County during regular season play.

“We had a good year, but we are disappointed that we didn't go farther,” he said. “Our region is so tough and competitive, but you have to win the first game of the district to give yourself a chance to move forward.”

Wootton said he’ll miss his seniors, Nancy Howell and Shana Zajdel, in next year’s lineup.

“Nancy and Shana have been so important in what we have done over the last four-to-five years, it is going to be hard not having them around next. They have been a part of four straight winning seasons which has only been done one other time and they played on the team last year that won 27 games.”

He expects to see Brown, Brewer, Durbin, Evans, Holt and Miranda Hornback back next year.

“If (they) keep improving and working hard we will be very good next season,” he said. “Ivy and Alexis are one of the top duos in the state, they complement each other so well on the floor, if they take it to another level we will be hard to handle.”