HIGHLAND, Kan. - Returning to the Ben Allen Field House court for the first time since the season-opening Scottie Classic, Highland (3-3) delivered a 71-39 win over St. Louis Community College (0-14) on Wednesday. After a back-and-forth first half, the Scotties showcased a smothering defensive presence, holding the Archers to just six points on three field goals.
Zoe Clarke (11 pts, 10 reb) led a highly-balanced HCC offense that saw all eight players find the scoresheet.
Cami Dalinghaus got things started for Highland, hitting a jumper from the left wing off an assist from
Brittany Jones, but Ella Nottmeyer answered for St. Louis.
Back-to-back three-pointers around the five-minute mark in the second quarter gave the Archers a 27-21 lead - their biggest of the night - as Nottmeyer followed a Sara Lopez Montoya triple with one of her own to finish an eight-point surge by STLCC. Highland recovered quickly, however, as Dalinghaus found
Jailynn Knife open for an easy jumper with 5:10 to go.
Jones found herself on the end of an
Eden Merrill pass for a three-pointer to stretch Highland's lead to four on its first possession of the half, but shooting woes hit both teams as nearly a minute-and-a-half elapsed with two misses by the Archers and three by HCC.
Vanessa Costa finally connected for St. Louis with 7:55 on the clock, but it would be the last basket for the Archers for more than six minutes. Highland forced seven misses and four turnovers, building a 47-35 lead before a Trinity Bizzle jumper tried to stop the onslaught with 1:43 left.
Highland was having none of it, however, forcing two turnovers and two misses to close the third quarter and a total of seven misses and five turnovers spanning a stretch of 5:04. A single fast-break bucket with 5:13 to play in the fourth was the only consolation for the Archers as Highland capped off the win with a 20-point fourth quarter.
As the Scotties make up for lost time from the fall, Highland hits the road to take on Jefferson College on Friday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.
