Girls basketball: Newark tops H-BR, earns spot in Little Ten title game

SHABBONA – Before the tip of Thursday’s Little Ten Conference semifinal at Indian Creek, a couple of Hinckley-Big Rock students were discussing their concerns about Newark’s full-court press.

Kids these days. They know their hoops.

Behind the Norsemen’s relentless defensive pressure, Newark earned a berth in Friday’s championship game, where Serena awaits, after a 44-29 victory.

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Newark’s Addison Ness and Hinckley-Big Rock's Mia Cotton fight for a loose ball Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, during the Little 10 girls basketball tournament at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona. (Mark Busch)

“They are very smart to be controlling the chaos they cause,” Newark coach Jasmine Mitchell said. “Sometimes we aren’t controlling the chaos not caused by us, but they are very good in being composed when they are causing it. You’ve got to be able to do that when they press like that.”

Hinckley-Big Rock (15-9) has overcome defensive pressure at times this season. The Norsemen certainly had a lot to do with the Royals not handling it this time.

“Through the Christmas break we played lot of good teams that could handle pressure, so I think they got a little discouraged,” Mitchell said. “So we’ve been working on it in practice tweaking it, kind of changing the set up so to speak, and they were able to come out tonight and really execute it.

“That’s the best they’ve played their press in a little while.”

The Royals struggled in getting their offense going because possessions often ended before half court.

“Ultimately, we’ve got two freshmen and a sophomore, so that’s three of our top ball handlers, and you’re going to have these nights,” Hinckley-Big Rock coach Doug Brewington said. “We had a team that pressed us a week ago and nailed it fantastic, so you just never know. Maybe it’s the big stage in the semifinals of the tournament, big-stage jitters. I was overconfident on press breaks, thinking they’ll be just fine. So it was a culmination of that, nerves and inexperience, and knowing [Newark is] a senior-laden team and they know what it takes to win.”

The game had a couple of lead changes early in the second quarter before the press really got to the Royals. The result was a 12-0 run by the Norsemen, making it 26-10 after Kiara Wesseh’s steal and layup with 5:52 left in the second quarter.

“That part is definitely my favorite part,” Wesseh said. “We’ve been playing together since about eighth grade, and that’s what our coach taught us, zone defense, and emphasized the press and fast breaks. We’ve carried that with us throughout the years. That’s really what gets our offense going.”

When the Royals were able to get into their offense they were able score primarily inside with Sami Carlino leading them with 10 points. Raven Wagner added eight points and eight rebounds, and Anna Herrmann scored five points for the Royals.

Newark (9-10) saw its 16-point lead cut to 36-29 after a putback by Wagner with about three minutes remaining.

But the Norsemen kept their cool as Addison Long answered with a basket inside off an inbounds play and was fouled. Long missed the free throw but somehow managed to gain possession of the rebound and reset herself before scoring again to make it 40-29 with 1:56 left.

Long was part of a balanced scoring attack for the Norsemen with 10 points. Wesseh scored 12, and Addison Ness had 13. Ness also had seven rebounds.

“I felt that it was important to keep the energy up,” Long said. “We never want to lose the hope that we could get down so we always think positive.”

Brewington was positive that either the Norsemen were going to win like they did or the Royals were going to beat the press, pound the ball inside and beat them. Like the students suggested, it would all come down to the Newark pressure that forced 26 turnovers.

“I told the girls coming into tonight that one of these two teams is going to win by 20,” he said. “If we break the press, there is nothing they can do to stop us, but if we let the press get to us, they are going to run us out of the gym. We saw both tonight. They ran us out of the gym, and then we broke the press and scored and scored and scored, and then they ran us out of the gym again.”