In a season full of lopsided wins for the Hardin-Jefferson girls basketball team, Wednesday night was no different.
Led by a triple-double from Duke commit Ashlon Jackson, the undefeated Hawks easily handled Hardin-County rival Silsbee, 101-38 during a regional-quarterfinal matchup in Beaumont.
Hardin-Jefferson jumped all over Silsbee early and quickly built a 17-point advantage in the first quarter. Fast starts have been a habit for the Hawks this season, and head coach Mike Fogo was pleased to see that continue in a playoff setting.
“Getting off to a good start is what we’ve done all year,” Fogo said. “But the intensity that they brought tonight — one through 13 on the bench — was awesome.”
By first quarter’s end, Jackson had already reached double digits scoring. She finished the game with 28 total points, 10 assists and 11 steals, even while sitting most of the fourth quarter.
Yet Jackson was hardly the only Hawk getting in on the scoring fun. Senior guard Makenna Henry put up 19 points and sophomore forward Molly Beavers added 16.
“She’s so unselfish, we’ve never even had to say that,” Fogo said of Jackson’s ability to share the ball. “They’re all having fun playing with each other, and when a team gets like that, magic starts to happen.”
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Hardin-Jefferson led 53-20 at halftime. Silsbee showed flashes at times, but never figured out a way to consistently break down the Hawks’ hounding defense. Freshman guard Monica Bottley was the Tigers’ best offensive threat, finishing with 17 points in a losing effort.
Silsbee, the District 22-4A co-champions, entered the regional quarterfinals following playoff wins over Livingston and Navasota, respectively. The Tigers end their season at 16-5 overall.
Hardin-Jefferson will continue their quest for a state championship later this week in the regional semifinals. There, the Hawks will face either China Spring or Mexia.
mfaye@beaumontenterprise.com
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