Big 2nd quarter lifts Eagles

By Jim Flick

Hubbard pulled away to beat Niles 58-34.

NILES — Hubbard’s balanced offense jumped to an early lead against Niles Wednesday night, and hung on for 58-34 victory in a girls basketball game.

The Eagles streaked out to a 14-0 first quarter lead. But it was in the second quarter when Hubbard (2-0) built what turned out to be an insurmountable lead, outscoring the Red Dragons 22-7 in the second stanza. Hubbard held a 38-13 lead at halftime.

The Hubbard’s scoring crescendo slacked off in the second half. In fact, Niles (0-1) outscored the Eagles 21-20 after halftime, but barely dented Hubbard’s lead.

Three players scored in double figures for Hubbard while a fourth player tallied nine points. Paige Seech and Jillian Hinkle netted 11 points each, Kelly Bullock scored 10 points and Haley Turner added nine points.

Megan McDermott led Niles’ attack, scoring 13 points.

Hubbard coach Ross Stoffer said his players played tough under the boards.

“Our inside game was good,” he said. “You got to have position and you got to want the ball. And we did.”

The Eagles’ strong inside game limited Niles’ offensive opportunities, the coach added.

While Stoffer said his team didn’t always achieve that goal, he pointed out the Eagles kept the Red Dragons’ offense in check.

Hubbard opened its season at home, beating Brookfield 39-22 last Friday.

Stoffer said he was glad to see his team perform well in its first game away from home.

“We talked about maintaining out composure on the road. It’s a big thing to get that confidence,” he said. “We missed some shots early, but we didn’t let that bother us.”

Niles outscored Hubbard 11-9 in the fourth quarter to claim a one-point lead in play after halftime.

“We won the second half,” said Niles coach Eric Marino. “But we missed too many shots. You’re not going to win if you shoot like that.”

Niles made only four of 24 shots in the first half. The team connected on eight of 24 shots in the second half.

The Eagles led 14-0 before the Red Dragons tallied their first points, on two 3-pointers by McDermott.

Early in the second quarter, Mariah Mostoller sank Niles’ third 3-pointer to cut Hubbard’s led to 16-9, but the Eagles dominated the rest of the half.

Hubbard also got off to a strong start in the second half, scoring seven points of at the start of the third quarter while holding Niles scoreless.

Hubbard led 45-13 in the third period when Niles started its rally. In the last quarter-and-a-half, Niles outscored Hubbard 21-13.

But the rally was too little, too late.