FORT DODGE, Iowa - Although the start to the two contests were on opposite ends of the spectrum, Highland Community College (9-0) kept its perfect record intact with two wins at the Great Western Dining Classic hosted by Iowa Central Community College. HCC's defense delivered a 66-49 win over Anoka-Ramsey Community College (4-2) on Friday and torched Iowa Central (4-3) for 34 turnovers in an 81-32 win on Saturday.
Opening tournament play against Anoka-Ramsey, Highland hit just two of six shot attempts in the opening five minutes. Solid defense kept the Scotties in range, however, as
Cameron McNamara,
Destiny Moore and
Lucy Hardy each recorded a block, with Hardy's rejection triggering the first quarter media timeout with Highland trailing 10-6.
Mariam Alowonie extended the margin to six for the Golden Rams out of the stoppage, but a second-chance bucket for
Madison Brittle sparked a 6-0 run, with Highland forcing three turnovers in the span of 55 seconds to tie the game at 12-12.
Highland quickly reversed a 16-15 first-quarter deficit, taking a 30-28 lead into halftime.
The opening moments of the third quarter saw four quick lead changes before back-to-back buckets by McNamara and Brittle put HCC in front for good. A three-point play for McNamara just after the 7:00 mark launched Highland on a 12-0 run that the Golden Rams weren't able to stop until the final minute of the period.
ARCC made one last surge to start the fourth, whittling the deficit as low as six points with 6:36 to play. After the media timeout, however, it was all Highland as the Scotties allowed just two free throw makes on a 10-2 run to close out the contest.
Saturday's first quarter was a completely different story for HCC, as the Scotties had four blocks and forced nine turnovers while racing to a 19-4 lead.
The host Tritons tried valiantly to keep pace with Highland in the second quarter, as the Scotties turned in their lowest shooting quarter of the weekend. ICC held the Gold-and-Blue to 27.8 percent (5-18) field goal shooting - including 0-of-5 from distance - to keep the halftime margin at 15.
Halftime appeared to recharge Highland, as the Scotties held Iowa Central scoreless through the opening 4:36 of the half and turned a 31-16 halftime lead into a 59-23 margin by the end of the third quarter.
HCC also held the Tritons to single digits in the fourth quarter, rolling to an 81-32 win.
McNamara led all scorers in both contests, scoring 21 for the Scotties in Friday's win over the Golden Rams and knocking down 27 against the Tritons. Hardy (13 and 13) and Brittle (10 and 10) also scored in double digits for both contests, with
Jadah Kingcade joining the double-digit club on Saturday with 11 points.
Highland returns home for a Thanksgiving week appetizer, taking on Iowa Western Community College on Tuesday. Tipoff at Ben Allen Field House is set for 5:30 p.m.
