Broncos Defeat Midland Behind 17 Points from Avila
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hastings (21-6, 16-5) | 28 | 16 | 17 | 25 | 86 |
|
Midland (4-23, 4-17) | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 45 |
(Fremont, NE) – The women's basketball team battled Midland Warriors on Wednesday, taking them down, 86-45.
Hastings came out with two quick baskets, starting with a three and ending with a two from junior Mariyah Avila. Midland fought back with an 11-5 run, then sophomore Bailey Kissinger and senior Alyssa Baker scored inside to go up 14-11 with 4:51 left in the first.
The Broncos weren't done with their run, as they scored eight more unanswered points to take a 22-11 lead with 3:10 remaining after a three-pointer from freshman McKenna Yates. Midland got within nine with a minute left in the quarter, but Yates and Avila drilled threes to put the Broncos up 28-13 after one.
Freshman Ann Bose responded to a Midland triple with one of her own in the opening moments of the second quarter, which began a 10-0 run that concluded with a layup from freshman Mikah O'Neill to put Hastings up 22 with 4:18 left in the half.
After a three-point play from the Warriors, Kissinger and freshman Jentri Marx finished in close to go up 23. Midland scored on a layup and a couple of free throws, but a layup by senior Kiernan Paulk put the Broncos ahead 44-23 at halftime. The Broncos shot 56 percent in the first half, holding Midland to 29 percent, as Yates led the way in scoring at the break with nine points.
The Broncos scored the first six points in the second half on two-point baskets from junior Macy Bryant, Yates, and Avila. Midland managed to close the lead to 22 with 3:34 left in the quarter, but a 7-0 run keyed by an Avila triple pushed the lead to 29 at the 1:34 mark as Hastings led 61-34 going into the fourth quarter.
Avila started the fourth strong with a deep ball on the first play of the period as Hastings went up 30. The next eight points belonged to the Warriors, but the Broncos responded with a 19-0 run. Kissinger began the run with free throws, Paulk converted a three-point play and knocked down a three with 6:42 left.
Bose came off the bench after a dead ball and cashed in two threes. Yates penetrated to score inside and the 12th Hastings three, this time from freshman Adyson Mlnarik, concluded the 19-0 run to make it 83-42 with 3:07 left. Mlnarik later knocked down a second three as Hastings got the 86-45 win.
Hastings shot 46 percent from the field and 45 percent from three, while holding Midland to 27 percent overall and 27 percent from three. Hastings forced 24 turnovers leading to 21 points. They outscored Midland by 18 in the paint and had 47 bench points.
Avila finished with a team-high 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Bose had 14 points and two steals off the bench, while Yates scored 13 points. Paulk added 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Baker led Hastings in rebounding with six and sophomore Tathis Arredondo had a team-high six assists.
Up next, Hastings will travel to Crete to play Doane University on Saturday, beginning at 2pm to close out the regular season. The Broncos currently hold the #4 seed in the upcoming GPAC Tournament and can move up to the #3 seed with a win and Dakota Wesleyan loss versus Dordt on Saturday.
