Lid stays on the hoop in low-scoring game with St. Ignace

Too many turnovers and not enough baskets will make it tough to win every time. Although holding St. Ignace to just 37 points, the Hurons could muster just 28 in Tuesday?s contest with the Saints. ?First we have to make our easy shots, and secondly we have to find that girl when she is open,? said Huron coach Karl Grambau, whose team fell to 1-3 in the young season. The Saints played their typical full-court press designed to upset the flow of the Huron offense. ?They just keep coming at you. We lost the ball a few times and the ball bounced their way a few times. We had our chances. I thought defensively we were alright, but we just have to get going on offense,? he said.

BOTH TEAMS struggled to put the ball in the hoop, with the Saints running up an early 10-6 lead at the two-minute mark of the first quarter. Dana Fairbanks snared a rebound and hit a banker, then Tiffiny Krueger fed Jenny Smith underneath for a hoop to cut the lead to 12-8. St. Ignace went up 18-8 with 4:16 left in the second quarter, but then didn?t score the rest of the first half. Teams traded turnovers and jump balls in a scrappy eight minutes of play. Only trouble was the Hurons were equally as cold on the other side of the court, scoring only three free throws in the second quarter, two by Laura Konieczny and one by Jenny Fleming. The visitors led at the half, 18-11.

The Hurons had their best run in the third quarter, getting 12 points in the frame. Konieczny hit Fairbanks in the lane for a jumper and Krueger set up Fleming for a short shot. Moments later Fairbanks? pass led to an easy basket for Konieczny. Krueger?s long jumper from the left wing tied the score at 22-22 with 2:21 left in the third quarter. The Hurons took a brief 12 second lead when Chelsie Brege connected on a runner before the Saints answered with a spurt to close the third leading 27-24. That would be the only Huron lead as the Saints? defense allowed just two more baskets, one from Brege and another nearly six minutes later from Fleming.

FLEMING LED the team in scoring with nine while Konieczny had seven. Last week the Hurons picked up their first win, 40-36 over Newberry. Newberry led 11-7 after the first quarter but t

he Hurons drew closer at halftime, trailing 19-16. A big third quarter got them the lead at the end of the third quarter at 32-28 and the defense held on to it in the fourth. Konieczny scored 11, Brege had eight and Fairbanks added seven. Rogers City hit on five-of-13 free throws. The defense did its job but again the Hurons had trouble scoring in a 42-32 loss to Inland Lakes September 7 at Indian River. Rogers City led 8-5 after the first quarter but managed just one point in the second quarter, falling behind 17-9 at halftime. Fleming scored nine for the Hurons, who shot just 10-of-26 from the free throw line.

THE JUNIOR varsity Hurons fell to 0-4 after three losses this week. Tuesday night they dropped a 41-20 decision to St. Ignace after falling behind 21-0 after the first quarter and trailing 29-4 at halftime. Anna Wickersham had six points to lead the Hurons in scoring. Newberry defeated the Hurons 39-27 as the Indians suited up only five players. The Hurons trailed 12-5 after the first half, 24-16 at halfime and 31-20 at the end of the third quarter. Monica Cercone scored 11 points in the loss. Cercone?s 15 points paced the Hurons in a 50-33 loss to Inland Lakes. The Hurons play in Alcona Saturday and host Posen Tuesday.

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