By Mike Schlottman

The Hastings Girls Basketball team notched their first win of the season with a nice road victory over conference rival Tartan. Their fortitude was definitely tested as the Titans kept it close down the stretch but the Raiders were able to pull it out with a five point victory in the end.

Head Coach Scott Addyman had this to say about the team, “I am very proud of how our girls started the game with an aggressive style of defense – taking away the passing lane. Our defense translated to transition basketball, which is exciting to watch.”

The Raiders were able to get out to a comfortable nine point lead in the first half but defensive adjustments made by Tartan allowed them to take over the lead in the second half.

“After a strong first half we found ourselves down four in the second half. Our girls rallied and our seniors took control of the timeout discussions to calm our team and emphasize the value of each possession,” Addyman said.

Senior guard Linnea Hanson said, “(We) were able to work together and build off the energy we created on the floor. We were able to shut down Tartan’s best player with lock down defense and that gave us the momentum. It was a really fun game with everyone pulling their weight.”

The Raiders definitely looked to everyone on the team to contribute as all ten girls that dressed varsity played in the contest.

Tartan was able to take the lead in the second half but the Raiders responded with a little run of their own and they never looked back.

Hastings won the game 47-42 putting their record at 1-2 in the conference and 1-2 overall. Junior forward Lilly Nuytten led the scoring for the Raiders with 14 points, 10 of those coming from the free throw line. Senior guard Shea Levos added seven while senior post Hannah Schultz and eighth grade guard Keegan McVicker had six points each.

“Our team took a step in the right direction last night and we are looking forward to Thursday, playing at home vs. Simley,” Coach Addyman said.

Raiders Come From Behind in Victory Over Simley The Hastings Raiders Girls Basketball team improved to 2-2 overall after Thursday’s huge home win over the Simley Spartans.

The Raiders held Simley’s best player and offensive focus Champ Danso to just 11 points, led by defensive mastery by Senior post Hannah Schultz. Schultz never let Danso get comfortable in the paint and kept her frustrated the entire game.

“Hannah Shulz, she played amazing defense on Champ that was it was excellent to see her battle,” Head Coach Scott Addyman said after the game.

Hastings trailed at the half 22-19 and were able to stay close in the second half because of their suffocating defense and aggressive play on offense which drew fouls and got them to the line.

Head Coach Scott Addyman made a minor adjustment at the half to give his girls an edge.

“Simley did an excellent job setting ball screens and the girl that was getting open was the girl who had set the screen and roll. We made the adjustment to have the girl who was guarding the screen for her to drop and sag into the lane play more pack line defense to take that away.”

Junior forward Lilly Nuytten pulled the Raiders within three with a couple of excellent turn-around jumpers in the paint. But it was senior guard Shea Levos who came up big, tying the score at 36-36 with a clutch three pointer from the wing with about three minutes left.

On the very next possession, Levos drove the lane off a pass from Senior guard Avery Daley and scored a layup after splitting the defense to give the Raiders a two-point lead. The score remained 38-36 when Nuytten missed a free throw and Schultz came up with a huge offensive rebound to keep the ball in the Raiders’ hands. With only 12 seconds left, the Spartans were forced to foul. Nuytten was the beneficiary of those fouls and she made the Spartans pay, sinking four of four free throws to keep the game out of reach.

Daley sealed the victory with two more free throws and the Raiders won 44-38 with their first victory over Simley in recent memory.

Addyman was quick to point out, “it was all heart, that’s what it was in the second half. A couple minor coaching adjustments, but it was the kids digging in and getting the job done.”

Schultz’s amazing defense was a major key to this victory, and she had this to say after the game, “overall it was a fantastic game by everyone. You could really see the hard work that we had been putting in at practice come to a reality on the court. Our defense was incredibly solid, and we were able to limit their best player offensively. I’m really proud of how we came together as a team and pulled off a win against such a good team.”

Nuytten finished with a double-double scoring 22 and grabbing 12 rebounds. Levos dropped in nine points with six boards and two assists and eighth grade guard Keegan McVicker added seven points with six rebounds and two assists as well.

Coach Addyman on being two and two on the season, after two straight wins, “Confidence is everything with young athletes, girls or boys. It doesn’t matter. You know, when you’re finding a rhythm, when you’re finding things to build on, it’s contagious. It spreads really well. You know what, it’s what fuels the fire in practice. It’s what fuels the fire for kids to be able to take coaching. You know, it feels really good. It’s really can’t describe how good it is for our program right now to get a couple wins under our belts at this point in the season.”

The Raiders are back in action Monday at home against North St. Paul.

Lilly Nuytten sinks the second of what would be four free throws in a row with just seconds left on the clock to lift the Raiders over Simley 44-38. Photo by Bruce Karnick