Abigail Hardwick had a stat sheet stuffing night for the Cardington-Lincoln girls’ basketball team (8-5, 5-1), putting up a huge third quarter to lead the Pirates to a 62-57 comeback win over KMAC rival Fredericktown (5-6, 2-4) on Jan. 9.
Fredericktown jumped out to a 8-0 lead before Kinstin Henthorn hit a three for the Pirates to make it an 8-3 game. The Freddies were up 20-11 lead after one quarter, with the team putting up four threes in the quarter. Ella Bouton had two of them, leading the charge with six points. Cally Carpenter had a three, and five points. Kit Bellman also hit a three for the Freddies. Magi Hallabrin led the Pirates with six points.
The Freddies increased their lead to 39-21 at the half, with Mya Bryant and Carpenter each putting up eight points in the quarter.
“We started off the game very unmotivated it seemed and we played that way the entire first half,” said Cardington-Lincoln Coach Kevin Fitzpatrick. “I give Fredericktown all of the credit because they played with emotion and were very well prepared for us. We didn’t come to play in the first half.”
The third quarter was a whole different story, with the second half starting out with a Hallabrin steal and a fast break score. Fredericktown was up 45-27, but Hardwick hit a wide open three to make it a 15-point deficit. Trailing 48-32, Genevieve Longsdorf of the Pirates grabbed a loose ball near the Cardington-Lincoln basket and put up a layup to cut the lead to 14. With the score 50-43, Hardwick snagged a steal and took it to the hoop to make it a five point game at the end of three quarters. Hardwick was an animal for the Pirates, putting up 16 points in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter Henthorn drilled an open three to tie up the game 57-57. The Pirates continued their outstanding second half play, outscoring the Freddies 17-7 to walk away with a sweet come-from-behind victory.
“I didn’t say a whole lot at the half,” said Coach Fitzpatrick. “I just told the girls it was put up or shut up time. Are we going to come out in the second half fired up and ready to fight back or just lose big. My assistant asked them for all out effort and wanted to know if they were prepared to give it their all to come back. We set a goal to cut the lead in half by the middle of the third quarter. I was so proud of the way we just flew around and caused chaos.”
Fitzpatrick said the Pirates have had trouble hitting their outside shots consistently so they had a focus of getting to the basket in the win. They were unsuccessful at this in the first half due to strong play by the Freddies, but Fitzpatrick said once they were able to get our and run, they could find easy shots and get to the foul line. This is where they are at their best.
Cardington-Lincoln shot 37% and 21% from three, while the Freddies shot 40% and 39% from three. Both teams hit 62% of their free throws, but the Pirates got to the line more often going 15-for-24. Hardwick was a huge reason for this success, going 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.
The Pirates led 37-35 in rebounds, 22-14 in steals and 3-2 in blocks. The Freddies had a 22-14 assist advantage.
Hardwick led all scorers with 26 points, out-dueling one of the KMAC’s top scorers in Carpenter, who had 23 points. Hardwick also had seven boards, seven assists, five steals and a block.
Fitzpatrick was proud of her taking the reins and pushing the Pirates to victory after a slow start.
“Abbi was very quiet early in the game,” said Coach Fitzpatrick. “Fredericktown was forcing us to take outside shots and we were missing some easy shots. I felt like when we decided to start with the all out pressure, that really was perfect for Abbi. She thrives in an open court game. She was attacking the basket and getting to the line and she was able to deliver when we needed it the most. She also did a great job of finding her teammates in transition."
He also said Hardwick led the defensive effort as they tried to create chaos and get easy shots.
"She put the team on her back and delivered," Coach Fitzpatrick said. "I couldn’t be more proud of that effort."
Hallabrin was also integral in the win, putting up 11 points, one offensive board, one assist and three steals.
“Magi was crucial to our success in the game,” Fitzpatrick said. “She was beating her player to the basket in our half court sets and she was getting out in transition for us in the second half. We always ask her to defend the other team’s best player and she always accepts the challenge. Magi is the ultimate team first kid. She had a great game and was important in that comeback.”
Madison Caulkins had seven points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Longsdorf had four points, four rebounds, four steals and an assist. Jill Bertke scored four points and was big on the glass with eight rebounds, and also had a steal. Lydia Hess only had one point, but she was outstanding on defense with five steals to go with three boards.
Henthorn had seven points, two boards, four steals and an assist. Morgan Powell put recorded six points, three rebounds and two assists.
“Even though we had some players put up some big numbers, it was really a team effort to get the win,” Fitzpatrick noted. “My bench kids did a phenomenal job when I called upon them. They came in and gave us energy and effort and made plays that were crucial in our success. I love coaching these kids.”
The Freddies were led by Carpenter, who along with her scoring had four rebounds and four steals. Mya Bryant had 17 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Bouton had eight points, eight boards, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Bellman scored five points and grabbed six boards, while dishing out four assists and recording two steals. Emily Feeney had four assists and a board, while also hitting a bucket.
