Hanson girls top Scotland in District 11B title game

All season long the Hanson girls’ basketball team has prided itself on its depth.

Hanson coach Jim Bridge once again called on that depth to help the Beavers secure a 43-30 victory over Scotland in the District 11B championship game Friday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

The Beavers rotated in and out with furious pace whenever there was a dead-ball moment.

“We have been doing that all year,” Bridge said. “I think at the beginning of the year, the girls got a little frustrated with how many players we were playing. … It’s a guess sometimes who should be out there because they all contribute and work hard in their own way.”

Hanson played 11 of its 15 players. Among them was freshman Kynedi Cheeseman, who scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Cheeseman drove to the basket seemingly every time she got the ball and put pressure on the Scotland defense.

The forward scored seven points in the first half and was locked in a post battle with Scotland’s Carley Skorepa.

“I worked hard and did the things coach told us to do,” Cheeseman said. “If someone is having a bad night then we have other players who can step up and help.”

While the final score may suggest otherwise, the Beavers’ victory was anything but easy.

Scotland (15-7) was leading by two at the end of the first quarter and was only down 17-16 at halftime.

The Highlanders got a major contribution from Skorepa, who scored eight first half points.

Skorepa gave the Hanson bigs trouble in the first half with her size.

The 5-foot-10 sophomore’s production slowed in the second half as the Beavers brought more bodies in to defend her.

“They started doubling her and they really started putting pressure on the perimeter,” Scotland coach Kevin Janish said. “We started having a hard time getting the ball inside. Carley was still there but they just got us out of sync in the second half.”

Skorepa finished with 10 points on the night and was the only Scotland player to score in double figures.

With the win, the Hanson Beavers (20-2) advance to face South Central in the Region 6B girls’ basketball championship. The winner of that game earns a berth in the Class B state tournament.

“I am just real proud of our kids, they don’t get too high or too low, and I am real proud of their performance.” Bridge said.

H 10 17 35 43

S 12 16 23 30

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