Hartford Press Box
Hartford Boys Basketball Finishes Busy Three-Game Week with 2-1 Record
Last week, the Hartford Husky boys basketball team returned to the grind, as they went to work during another competitive stretch of play, playing in a total of three conference games during the week on the hardwood. The men have had a solid first twelve games to their season, as they entered play with an 8-4 record on the year, with seven of those wins occurring in conference play. With their solid play to date, the team is making inroads to be quite a contender.
In their first game of the week, which saw Hartford host the visiting Bulldogs of Centreville, on Monday, Jan. 29, in conference action, the Huskies were looking to remain on the winning track, but the opponent on the other side is one of high-quality. The Bulldogs came to town as the leader in the Southwest 10 Conference, with a schedule that had just one blemish on it, in their season opener. The Huskies played well throughout the night, but eventually, the press and turnovers would come back to bite them, as Centreville would defeat Hartford, 65-52.
In terms of the box score, the Huskies got off on the right foot, as they won the scoreboard battle in the opening stanza, but the rest of the night, it was all Bulldogs. Hartford jumped out to a 14-8 lead after the opening eight minutes, before Centreville outscored the Huskies, 23-14, in the second quarter, turning their deficit into a three-point lead at the half, 31-28. The Bulldogs would continue their good play into the second half, as they won the scoreboard battle, 19-10, in the third quarter, to take a 50-38 lead with eight minutes left. The two teams played a competitive fourth quarter, but it was won by Centreville, 15-14, taking us to the final margin of victory.
Five players scored for Hartford, including a trio who finished in double figures. Brody Johnson led all Husky scorers with 18 points, while Caiden Smith added 16 points and Jeff Littlefield chipped-in 11 points. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Julien Rodarte (5 points) and Dylan Kuehnle (2 points).
In their second game of the week, which saw Hartford host the visiting Vikings of Bangor, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, in conference action, the Huskies approached the contest with a bit of anger, having lost such a tough one the night prior. The opponent coming in wasn’t having the best season, with a 5-8 record, but you know these rivalry games – they can become quite competitive. However, this one wasn’t close, as Hartford played some of their basketball of the season thus far and handed the visiting team quite the defeat; the Huskies won this one, 76-37.
In terms of the box score, it was Hartford all night long, as the Huskies were in control of the scoreboard battle in all four quarters. Hartford led after the opening eight minutes, 19-3, before using an 18-6 scoring run in the second quarter, to extend their lead at the half to 37-9. In the third quarter, the two squads combined for a total of 45 points, a quarter in which the Huskies won, 27-18, to extend their lead to 64-27 with eight minutes remaining. In the fourth quarter, the clock was running for most of the stanza, but there still were a combined total of 22 points; Hartford took the frame, 12-10, to conclude the scoring.
Eight players scored for Hartford, including five players who finished in double figures. Brody Johnson led all Husky scorers with 17 points, while Caiden Smith added 16 points and Dylan Kuehnle chipped-in 13 points. Concluding the scorers in double figures were Mason Mireles (11 points) and Jeff Littlefield (10 points). Other players finishing in the scoring column included Carlos Ruiz (5 points), Julien Rodarte (3 points) and Ryan Romeo (1 point).
In their third game of the week, which saw Hartford travel to Lawrence, on Friday, Feb. 2, for a conference matchup with the Tigers, the Huskies were looking to continue to play great basketball, against one of their rivals, whom they had defeated, 57-35, back on Dec. 14. Once again, in these rivalry showdowns, you never know which way they will go, but this one ended on the right side of the spectrum for the men wearing green and white. After a tight first quarter, Hartford put the afterburners on and stormed into the opposing gym and left with a win, 75-42.
In terms of the box score, Hartford led most of the night, with the exception being in the early minutes of the game. The game began with a 15-11 lead for the Huskies after the opening eight minutes, before they extended their lead at the half to 42-18, thanks to a 27-7 scoring burst in the second quarter. The host Tigers put up a fight in the third quarter, as they won the scoring battle, 18-14, to make it a 56-36 game with eight minutes remaining. However, the Huskies finished strong by winning the scoreboard fight, 19-6, in the fourth quarter, which saw the entire roster of both teams make it on the floor, in addition to some excellent sportsmanship!
Seven players scored for Hartford, including three players who finished in double figures. Brody Johnson led all Husky scorers with 30 points, while Caiden Smith added 19 points and Jeff Littlefield chipped-in 10 points. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Dylan Kuehnle (7 points), Mason Mireles (5 points), Ryan Romeo (2 points) and Carlos Ruiz (2 points).
Hartford is currently 10-5 on the season and is 9-2 in Southwest 10 Conference play. The Huskies are scheduled to take the court just once this week, with that game counting towards the final league standings. Prior to readers receiving this column, the team will have played that game, as they traveled to Marcellus, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, for a matchup with the Wildcats.
Hartford Girls Basketball Marches to Perfect 3-0 Record During Busy Stretch
Last week, the Hartford Lady Husky basketball team returned to the hardwood for another gamut of competitive action, as the ladies took part in three games (two of which counted towards the conference standings) during the seven-day stretch. The ladies have been able to shake off a recent tough stretch of play, with their record standing at 4-5 overall through their first nine games. If they continue to play well, they could build some much-needed momentum.
In their first game of the week, which saw Hartford travel to Bangor, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, for a conference matchup with the Lady Vikings, the Lady Huskies were looking to run their winning streak to three straight games, as they were looking to defeat a rival in their first meeting of the season. From the looks of the final score, our readers will realize that the ladies didn’t start the game on a hot stretch, but they finished the game on the right foot, scoring most of their points in the second half. When the final whistle sounded, it was a victory for Hartford, 33-21.
In terms of the box score, the Lady Huskies and Lady Vikings split the four quarters, which included a ‘bagel’ in the first half. That ‘bagel’ occurred in the first quarter, as Hartford held Bangor scoreless, in taking a 7-0 lead after the opening eight minutes, before the Lady Vikings answered with a 6-5 scoring run in the second quarter, to trim the Lady Huskies lead to 12-6 at the half. Hartford put the game away for good in the third quarter, as they outscored Bangor, 14-5, in the stanza, to take a 26-11 lead into the final eight minutes. Give some credit to the Lady Vikings – they concluded the game by winning the scoreboard fight in the fourth quarter, 10-7.
Seven players scored for Hartford, including one who finished in double figures. Ava Bachman led all Lady Husky scorers with 12 points, while Lilly Price added 8 points. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Lillian Wolf (4 points), Sianelli Rodriguez (3 points), Abby Valdes (3 points), Gracie Kinchen (2 points) and Brooke Birmele (1 point).
In their second game of the week, which saw Hartford host the visiting Lady Lakers of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, in non-conference play, the Lady Huskies, who had run their record to .500 for the first time since their season opener, were looking to get above that elusive mark, against a visiting squad with an 8-5 record, but who had lost back-to-back games. This game went back-and-forth for much of the night, as the two teams put forth their best effort to earn the victory; in the end, Hartford would pull out the win, 34-24.
In terms of the box score, it was competitive throughout the opening half, as the two squads traded wins on the scoreboard in the first two quarters. Our Lady of the Lake Catholic jumped out to a 5-4 lead after the opening eight minutes, before Hartford responded with an 11-7 scoring run of their own in the second quarter, to take a 15-12 lead into the half. In the second half, the Lady Huskies gradually began to pull away, starting with an 8-5 scoring advantage in the third quarter, to give them a 23-17 lead with eight minutes left. Hartford then closed strong, winning the fourth quarter scoring battle, 11-7, to bring us to the final margin of victory.
Four players scored for Hartford, including one who finished in double figures. Ava Bachman led all Lady Husky scorers with 14 points, while Abby Valdes added 9 points. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Sianelli Rodriguez (8 points) and Brooke Birmele (3 points).
In their third game of the week, which saw Hartford travel to Lawrence, on Friday, Feb. 2, for a conference showdown with the Lady Tigers, the Lady Huskies were looking to run their winning streak to five-in-a-row, against a squad that was within ½ game in the conference standings, and who they had lost to, 36-30, back on Dec. 15. In this classic rivalry matchup with so many implications on the line, the game turned out to be one that will not soon be forgotten, as Hartford went into the opposing gymnasium and pulled off a dramatic victory in double overtime, 51-46.
In terms of the box score, the game went back-and-forth all night long, with so many lead changes that we lost count! Lawrence led after the opening eight minutes, 13-6, before Hartford responded by outscoring the Lady Tigers, 10-2, in the second quarter, which included scoring the final ten points of the stanza, to take a 16-15 lead at the half. The Lady Huskies would use a 10-6 scoring run in the third quarter, to take a 26-21 lead with eight minutes remaining, a final stretch where Lawrence would tie the game, 35-35, after outscoring Hartford, 14-9.
From there, the game would go to overtime, and even one overtime period wasn’t enough, as both teams scored five points each, including three-point shots on back-to-back possessions, to knot the game at 40-40. In the second overtime, the Lady Huskies closed strong, as they used their scoring prowess to outwit the Lady Tigers, 11-6, to finally take home the ‘W’.
Five players scored for Hartford, including a trio who finished in double figures. Ava Bachman led all Lady Husky scorers with 18 points, while Abby Valdes added 16 points and Brooke Birmele chipped-in 10 points. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Lilly Price (4 points) and Sianelli Rodriguez (3 points). In addition to scoring statistics, Bachman finished the night with an astounding 25 rebounds, while Valdes wasn’t too far behind, with 18 rebounds, herself.
Hartford is currently 7-5 on the season and is 6-3 in Southwest 10 Conference play. The Lady Huskies are scheduled to take the court for two home games this week, with both counting towards the final league standings. Prior to readers receiving this column, the team will have hosted the Lady ‘Cats of Marcellus, on Tuesday, Feb. 6. They will conclude the week by hosting Decatur, on Thursday, Feb. 8, for a showdown with the Lady Raiders.
Hartford Wrestling Team Scores Third Place Finish at Conference Finals
Last week, the Hartford Husky wrestling team took to the mats to compete in two events, which included a pair of team conference duals during the week and the conference championship tournament on the weekend. The team has been having some solid efforts in their individual and team meets so far, entering the week with eleven wins as a team, and was in a tie-for-second in the conference race. With the postseason looming, this team could be a player.
In their conference team dual matches, which took place at White Pigeon, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, the Huskies went up against the host Chiefs, who they were deadlocked with in the conference standings, as well as the Bulldogs of Centreville. On this evening, the team managed to leave the opposing gymnasium with a 1-1 record, as they defeated Centreville, 60-21, before falling to White Pigeon, 54-27.
Winning matches against Centreville were Daniel Zandarski (106), Anya Watkins (113), Roman Rodarte (120), Bobby Lenza (126), Alex Saldana (132), Braeden Birkhead (144), Isaiah Lovell (157), Erick Morales (165), Linken Birkhead (175) and Shane Phillips (190).
Winning matches against White Pigeon were Roman Rodarte (120), Alex Saldana (132), Braeden Birkhead (144), Linken Birkhead (165) and Shane Phillips (190).
In their Southwest 10 Conference tournament, which was held at Bloomingdale, on Saturday, Feb. 3, a total of seventeen wrestlers, including four female grapplers, took part in the event for the Huskies. When the tournament was concluded, Hartford finished in 3rd place out of ten teams, with a total of 142 team points.
In terms of individual results, on the men’s side, the Huskies were led by first place finishes from Roman Rodarte (120), Ales Saldana (126) and Braeden Birkhead (144). Isaiah Lovell (157) and Linken Birkhead (165) were runner-up finishers, while Brady Rice (113) and Bobby Lenza (132) took home third-place honors. Danny White (138) came away with a fourth-place result.
On the ladies side, the Lady Huskies were led by first place finishes from Anya Watkins (113) and Niomi Perez (235). Vanessa Alonso (120 / 125) was a runner-up finisher, while Taliyah Mendoza (120 / 125) took home third-place honors.
Hartford is currently 12-6 on the season in team duals, which included a 7-2 record in Southwest 10 Conference action. The wrestlers will begin postseason tournaments this week, which will include both team and individual districts. Prior to this column being released, the team will have traveled to Coloma, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a MHSAA Division 3 Team District, that includes the host Comets and Watervliet. They will finish the week by traveling to Constantine, on Saturday, Feb. 10, for the MHSAA Division 3 Individual District.
Hartford Competitive Cheerleading Squad Finishes Conference Campaign
Last week, the Hartford Lady Husky competitive cheerleading squad returned to action on the local mats, as they took part in one competition during the previous seven days, which included the conference finals. Despite results that have not been to the teams liking thus far, our readers must know that the learning experience for the ladies so far has been trying but rewarding. Eventually, maybe not this year, but in the future, their hard work will show with better finishes.
In the conference finals, which were held at Parchment, on Thursday, Feb. 1, the ladies were tasked with competing against the six other teams in Division 3, hoping to earn a strong result to finish the league campaign. After three rounds of high-flying action, the ladies finished in 7th place in the seven-team field, with a total of 508.1 points.
In terms of the scoring breakdown by round, the squad earned 180.9 points in the first round, which came with no points in penalties. In the second round, the squad earned 154.1 points, which came with no points in penalties. In the third round, the squad initially earned 197.1 points, but their score was reduced to 173.1 points after twenty-four points were deducted.
The Hartford Lady Husky competitive cheerleading squad is scheduled to take part in one competition in the week ahead, the Delton Kellogg Competitive Cheer Invitational, which is set for Saturday, Feb. 10.
As always, GO GREEN! GO WHITE!
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