Emmetsburg remained within striking distance for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in a Class 2A Region 3 first round game. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they could never muster quite enough offense to pull off the comeback. The end result was a 52-38 loss to the E-Hawks February 11 at Emmetsburg. HMS finishes the season with a record of 3-18.
“Emmetsburg had tough ball-pressure defense that we just didn’t know what to do with,” observed Hawk head coach Jenni Van Otterloo. “We didn’t get many outside shots off because of that, and in return, hurt our shooting game. We just couldn’t get into a groove and find ways to score the ball. Not exactly the way we had hoped to end our season. But, we look forward to working on some things in the offseason to get better next year!”
HMS, which fell behind 4-0 out of the gate, never led in the game. The visitors were within a point at 6-5, but the E-Hawks held a 14-7 lead after one quarter. The Hawks trimmed the deficit to three on two occasions in the second quarter but were again down by seven at halftime.
The third frame was a particularly good one for Emmetsburg, which won the quarter 15-6. The Hawks outscored their hosts 13-12 over the final eight minutes, but the hole proved too deep to climb out of.
With the ball going inside for HMS, the team’s leading scorers were Abby Douma with 14 points, Kylee Schiphoff with 10 and Moriah Otto with seven. Frankie Mohni hit the Hawks’ lone trey for her three points. Emily Mutombo and Elise Haack each finished with a basket for two points. Haack assisted on three hoops and Gracie Knobloch on two others.
HMS was 13-of-31 from the field for 42 percent. The Hawks made 11 of 19 foul shots. Emmetsburg finished at 39 percent but had eight more field goals and 23 more shot attempts. The E-Hawks were 3-of-9 from distance and 7-of-12 at the free throw line.
The Hawks collected one more rebound than did Emmetsburg. Helping HMS to its 26-rebound total were Otto with five boards and Mutombo, Haack, Schiphoff and Douma with four apiece. Douma rejected three shots. The Hawks also came away with 10 steals. Mutombo and Schiphoff each stole the ball three times with Haack adding two thefts and Douma and Otto each accounting for one. The E-Hawks turned the ball over 15 times but HMS was guilty of 26 giveaways.
This marked the last game for seniors Mutombo and Haack.
“Emily Mutombo is a great player that will be missed next year,” stated her coach. “She leaves some big defensive shoes to fill. As a coach, I always appreciate her positivity and leadership that she brought every single day to practice and to games. I never questioned if she was going to give it her all. Although not a leading scorer for us, Emily’s defense usually set the tone for how we were going to do as a team.”
“Elise is a great basketball player and will be missed next year as well,” continued Van Otterloo. “Elise wasn’t a leading scorer, but her efforts on the floor were consistent. When she was in the game, I could count on her consistency and minimal errors, and that will be missed.”
HMS 7 12 6 13 – 38
E’burg 14 12 15 11 – 52