By Christopher Keating
The Harwood (HU) girls’ basketball team jumped out to an early and strong lead against Missisquoi Valley Union (MVU) and hung onto it for a 47-41 victory, taking their second win in three days.
The Highlanders dominated the game for the entire first quarter shutting out MVU and accumulating a 10-0 lead. However, throughout the second period MVU climbed back to within seven points.
“Our zone came out great again in the first quarter and a half and in the third quarter we really let them down and the fouls played a big part,” Harwood head coach Tommy Young said.
Young noted that eight of MVU’s 17 points came from the free-throw line in the second quarter.
“It’s not that we held back, but I think mentally our team said, ‘Alright, we’re up,’ and they lost their focus. That’s what you see when you have a younger team,” Young said.
The Highlanders’ win on Monday night came just three days after defeating Vergennes for the team’s first win in two years.
“I think they are realizing that they can play with teams. There are still some teams that we will face that are at a really elite level and we’re not there yet. We hope to get there, but I think we’re realizing that we’re better than we thought we were when we started,” Young said.
