NICK MERSCH
SPORTS EDITOR
Despite a third quarter comeback, the Lady Barons fell to the Hilbert Hawks 69-54 on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. on senior night.
Following the Lady Barons’ devastating 2-point loss in their last encounter with the Hilbert Hawks on the road on Saturday, Jan. 5, the Lady Barons looked to avenge the game they should have won a month ago. Though their determination was not enough to cinch the victory, the day was not wasted, as the Barons on the court and in the bleachers honored the two senior team members: Gaby De Jesus and Raegan Stead.
Hilbert started the game by going on a quick 7-0 run, but senior guard Raegan Stead knocked down a jumper to bring the Barons within five. The Hawks continued to extend their lead, and despite the efforts of the Baron offense, they could not keep up. The quarter ended with a score of 17-6, Hilbert.
The Lady Barons showed new life to start the tail end of the first half. After some consistent Baron offense, junior guard Abby Baierl finished strong in the paint to bring the score to 20-14. After this, the Hawks went on another run that was thwarted once again by Baierl, who hit the jumper to bring Franciscan within eight points of Hilbert. The Lady Barons headed down to the locker with the score at 28-20.
To start the second half, freshman forward Grace Godich knocked down a jump shot off of an assist from senior guard Gaby De Jesus. This was followed by a Stead fastbreak layup that brought the score to within four. Later in the quarter, freshman forward Angela Starre, and soon Stead as well, hit a spot-up jump shot to give Franciscan its first lead of the game. Unfortunately, the Hawks went on a 15-0 run to end the quarter, giving them a 13-point lead going into the final quarter of the game.
The fourth quarter began with a Starre layup to narrow the deficit, but Hilbert answered back with basket after basket. Stead gave the Barons hope with a 3-pointer that brought them within 10 points, but the disciplined Hilbert team seemed unphased as they continued to score evenly with the Lady Barons in this quarter.
Both seniors, De Jesus and Stead, were honored by the crowd during their last game on Kuzma Court as they took a seat on the bench. The Hawks were victorious however, with a final score of 69-54.
Head Coach Suzy Delaney had some promising words after the game: “Our team battled – the girls kept coming at them – but we had no answer for their inside game, especially Ashley Repine who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. We appreciate the great crowd that came out to support our seniors in their last game on Kuzma Court. Gaby, Raegan and MK, our GOAT manager, have all left their mark on our program and will be greatly missed. But they’re not done yet and we’re excited for our three road games this week – we’re determined to finish out strong.”
The Lady Barons will take on Pitt-Bradford on the road Monday, Feb. 11, at 4 p.m.