ALLEN — It was almost as if the Northern Heights girls were looking in the mirror on Friday — circa 2006-07.
To anyone who didn’t witness the Ladycats’ season two years ago, they wouldn’t have noticed, but the Lyndon girls looked eerily familiar to Northern Heights during a 63-19 win.
Lyndon started three freshmen and a sophomore, and the Tigers’ inexperience showed in the first half against the Heights press. They had 15 turnovers in the first half — often struggling to get the ball into the frontcourt — and it quickly turned into a blowout with the Ladycats leading 40-14 at half.
“We’ve been there before,” NHHS coach Tim Riemann said. “When this group of seniors was sophomores, they saw a lot of presses and so they know what it’s like. We knew that we could take advantage of a younger team.”
The Heights girls might have provided hope for the future for Lyndon. The Ladycats start four seniors and a junior, all players who have grown up on the varsity level.
Their experience has paid off this season. They are 9-1, and in second place in the Flint Hills League, their only loss coming to Osage City. Just a look at the two teams’ turnovers — and the score, of course — shows what experience can provide.
The Tigers had 23 turnovers, compared to only 10 for the Ladycats, who probably could have forced more if they would have continued to press in the second half.
“I think we came out intense like we needed to and and just took care of what we needed to do to put it to ’em early,” NHHS senior Tess Hobson said.
Hobson was one of 10 Heights players with a steal — she had a game-high five — and Amy Boline, who had four steals, had a logical explanation for the Ladycats’ superior anticipation.
“A bunch of their kids played JV,” she said, “so we kind of knew what they were going to do before they did it.”
Many of Northern Heights junior varsity players also got to play, but the game was already decided by that point.
The Ladycats had eight players score and four in double figures. Andrea Miller and Amy Boline led Heights with 11 points apiece and Sarah Boline and Christena Zumbrum both scored 10. Hobson and Amy Lee each added eight.
“That’s the great thing about our team. We don’t have the one star player,” Riemann said. “We have a team that works hard. Any player on any given night can lead us in scoring. I think we’re fun to watch and it’s fun to coach.”
Friday at Northern Heights
Lyndon 8 6 1 4 — 19
Northern Heights 19 21 15 8 — 63
Lyndon (2-7, 1-6) — Schmidt 2, Bitts 2, Gales 6, Fine 6, Burkett 1, Barone 2.
Northern Heights (9-1, 6-1) — Hobson 8, Lee 8, Miller 11, A. Boline 11, Zumbrum 10, S. Boline 10, Baird 3, Smith 2.