HART – After a tough non-conference loss to Fremont last Friday, Hart’s girls basketball team looked to play spoiler to a previously unbeaten Spring Lake Team, Monday, Dec. 16. The Pirates did just that, taking a 46-42 victory on a night where the usual suspects struggled early.
“We’ve kind of struggled with our defense and offense all year,” Hart senior Breslyn Porter said. “This gave us a lot of confidence knowing that Spring Lake had previously beaten Fremont. We were hungry to get this one.”
“I believe people underestimate (Copenhaver) and what her ability is and how important she is to our team,” Hart Head Coach Travis Rosema said. “Obviously teams want to stop Rilynn, Addi and Reese. (Copenhaver) and Breslyn are both kind of under the radar. Kelsey does a good job of getting open spots and her teammates find her.”
The Pirates have been no strangers to low-scoring affairs in the first few weeks of the season. Monday night was no different as both teams seemed to limp through the opening quarter on offense. After trading blows in the first quarter, Spring Lake owned a narrow 10-7 lead. Hart sophomore Rilynn Porter hit a critical shot from three-point range to end the quarter, keeping the Pirates within striking distance.
Rhythm continued to elude Hart’s offense to start the second quarter. After Hart senior Kelsey Copenhaver scored the opening points of that frame, Spring Lake scored five unanswered points to extend their lead to 15-9 with nearly two minutes left until halftime.
Copenhaver was a bright spot for Hart’s stagnant offense, finding a reliable stroke from the baseline and doing a majority of the dirty work down low.
“I love that shot right in the short corner. That’s my shot,” Copenhaver said. “We call that Kelsey Corner. We needed people to step up when other people can’t right then. I feel like not just me, but a lot of other girls did that too.”
Rosema shifted to a more aggressive brand of defense to close out the quarter, sparking the Pirates to a run of their own. Addison Schiller and Macy Riley found paths to the rim, earning free throw chances while Rilynn knocked down another three and Reese Smith converted from down low to close out the first half. Hart jumped in front with a 17-15 lead heading into the locker room.
“Right before the half we were down four,” Rosema said. “I put four girls in and said we’re gonna change the pace, press and go to a zone defense. That really gave us a spark and led us to a good team win.”
The third quarter saw Hart focus on exploiting favorable matchups to get quality opportunities on offense. Smith got things going early, posting up on a smaller guard to give the Pirates the first points of the quarter.
In addition to finding those favorable matchups, Breslyn was able to snag two offensive rebounds in the waning minutes of the third quarter. Breslyn turned both of those boards into putback points, extending the Pirates’ lead to 30-27 heading into the final stanza.
After finding her first points of the game in that third quarter, Hart senior Addi Hovey took control in the fourth.
Spring Lake tested Hart early, scoring eight unanswered to take a five point lead in the fourth quarter. Hovey took it upon herself to respond, notching seven straight points of her own to put Hart back on top.
“I’d like to see (Hovey) do that more in the first, second and third quarters,” Rosema said. “It’s nice to know that she can step up and get those points. It’s great to have players like (Hovey), Rilynn and Breslyn who can be clutch in those moments.”
Hart slowed the tempo at that point, forcing Spring Lake to foul Pirate shooters in order to regain possession. The Pirates didn’t blink at any chances for free points, going a near-perfect 9-for-10 from the line to ice the game.
Hovey shook off her slow start to lead Hart with a double-double, scoring 15 points and adding 12 rebounds. Copenhaver had eight points and three rebounds while Rilynn scored eight and added two steals. Breslyn and Smith each chipped in six points as well.
The Pirates improved their record to 4-1 overall with the win. Hart will look to better its 1-0 record in the West Michigan Conference Rivers Division when they host North Muskegon, Thursday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.
