NICKERSON – Jordan Barlow had to remind herself to calm down. Shots she normally hits with ease skidded off the rim and bounced off the backboard.

“I had to get out of my head,” Barlow said. “Once I made that shot in the second half, I knew it was going to be okay. I can do it.”

After Haven struggled to find a groove offensively in the first half, Barlow found her groove in the second half to score eight of her 10 points in the third quarter. Haven pulled away from rival Nickerson in an impressive second half performance in the 42-26 victory Friday night.

The Wildcats outscored the Panthers 30-13 in the second half. Haven remains undefeated at 6-0. Nickerson falls to 4-3.

It wasn’t until an assist by Emmiley Hendrixson to a waiting Arie Roper in the corner for the 3-pointer that opened up the game in the third quarter behind Barlow’s run.

Hendrixson scored 11 and dished out seven assists. Genesis Schmutz added eight points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats. Faith Paramore cashed in with six points. It was a balanced attack all around for Haven despite the open looks that drew iron in the first half.

“I was pleased with the shots we were getting, we just didn’t make them,” said Haven coach Dwight Roper. “I told them at halftime that when you hold someone to 13 points in a half, you ought to feel really good about where you’re at.”

Despite scoring just two points in the second quarter on a floater in the lane by freshman Maguire Estill, Haven trailed Nickerson 13-12 at halftime. Morgan Stout was aggressive for Nickerson, scoring 10 of the Panthers’ first 15 points. Tara Davis and Sophie Mader each had seven. Stout’s strong performance wasn’t enough to will the Panthers back into the game.

“We broke down so many times on offense,” said Nickerson coach Jon McLean. “We tried to do too much one on one and didn’t stay in what we needed to do. It got away from us, but in three quarters, it was a heck of a game.”

HAVEN 42 NICKERSON 26

Haven;10;2;14;16;—;42

Nickerson;6;7;7;6;—;26