HART – The Hart girls’ basketball team came into Wednesday night with a clear objective: to win its fourth straight conference title.
A 60-34 rout of the Ravenna Bulldogs proved this team is bound to make a deep playoff run.
“Winning a conference championship is never an easy task; it takes time and commitment. We have been blessed to get girls committed to improving in the offseason. Additionally, we have a group of girls with a common goal who are willing to work for that goal,” head coach Travis Rosema said.
The Pirates are on a 15-game winning streak and haven’t lost since December 13th. The loss came against cross-conference rival Fremont by just one point.
“We have faced adversity often and have responded, which will help in the postseason. We lost to Fremont early in the season. The girls didn’t like that feeling and have been working hard to not experience it again,” Rosema said.
To put in perspective how good this team is, the Pirates have outscored Hesperia 164-12 in the two games they’ve played.
The leader and captain of the team is senior Addi Hovey. Scoring 16 points against Ravenna, Hovey sets her per-game average at 16.3 PPG.
Rilyn Porter serves as the point guard for the Pirates. Porter averages five assists per game, which ranks second overall in the West Michigan Conference.
In the latest Michigan girls’ basketball rankings, Hart was voted into 8th place in Division Three.
Just two seasons ago, Hart was playing at the Breslin and competing for a state title. They would lose to the eventual state champions, Hemlock, in the state semifinal.
The Pirates are somewhat of a veteran squad; most of them experienced the first-round exit last season to Ludington.
Holton, Morley Stanwood, and Wyoming Potter’s House are the three teams left on Hart’s schedule before the playoffs.
“We have played good defense and gotten out in transition well all season; that should continue. Moving into the postseason, I just want the girls to continue to focus on improving and executing well,” said Rosema.
The Pirates sit at 18-1 overall and 11-0 in the WMC-Rivers division. Shelby will finish in second place, not far behind Hart.
In both meetings against each other, Hart came out victorious. In the first matchup, the Pirates pulled away late and were able to come out with a three-point win.
With the conference title guaranteed to go to the Pirates, they will now shift their focus to closing out the regular season on a high note and hopefully making yet another run to the Breslin Center.
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