The energy level for the Herculaneum and Jefferson girls teams in their Jan. 20 matchup was palpable.
It started when Herculaneum freshman Taylor Metcalf drained three straight 3-point shots in the first minute, stunning the host Blue Jays. Proving the moment wasn’t too much for her, Metcalf kept scoring and finished with a game-high 19 points in the Blackcats’ 66-52 victory.
Metcalf, brand new to high school basketball, is nevertheless well aware of the rivalry between the two JCAA schools.
“We got started early and we didn’t let up this time,” she said. “R-7 and Herky are always at each other. We (Blackcats) are starting to work together as a family and it’s working for us.”
Herculaneum head coach Riley Blair said Metcalf – whose big sister Cailey graduated last spring after leading Herky in scoring the last two years – works hard and has the respect of her teammates.
“(Metcalf’s early 3-point baskets) set the tone for us offensively, but more importantly it set the tone for us defensively because we were able to force them to do things they didn’t want to do,” Blair said. “That was the key to the win for us.”
Herculaneum junior RaeAnn Fuller set a school record with 25 rebounds, topping the old single-game mark of 19.
Jefferson head coach Brandon Joines admitted the Blue Jays came out flat Friday. They made just five of 36 shots from the field in the first half.
“It’s hard to be in a game when you shoot like that,” Joines said. “I challenged them at halftime to come out and play with some pride and some heart, and they answered that. It could have gotten really ugly, but we closed in a little at the end.”
Both teams entered the game realizing that the final score wasn’t as important as the generosity of the Jefferson and Herculaneum communities toward two families battling cancer; each received $3,500 in the third annual Hoops for Hope fundraising event.
“I talked to the kids before the event and told them it was huge for both families,” said Blair, who was easy to spot wearing a pink dress shirt and pink tie, symbolic of cancer awareness. “I talked about what was going on this week so they weren’t shocked by it.”
Juniors Emily Fischer (13 points) and Lauren Partney (15) also scored in double figures for the Blackcats. Fischer was seven of 10 from the free-throw line. Sophomore Jenna Courtois led the Blue Jays with 16 points. Sophomore Heidi Hearst made three treys and finished with 13 points while junior Hanna Floyd scored 11.
The Blue Jays dressed only one senior, Holly Welker. Senior Sydney Weik will miss at least the next 10 days because of an injury. Weik’s absence Friday was noticeable on the boards as she’s the Blue Jays’ leading rebounder.
“That’s a lot to give up when you’re playing a team that has a nice post inside,” Joines said. “We talked about boxing out, but in the end size does matter. Height is rare on the girls side and when you have it, it’s noticeable.”
Joines said he was proud of the way his team, with a young lineup on the floor most of the game, fought to the end. Sophomores Courtois, Gracie Fish, Madison Fuller and Taya Allen played the bulk of the minutes in the second half.
“We seemed like we had energy,” Joines said. “We got frustrated when the shots weren’t falling. We started doubting and bad things happen. You can’t do that in high school basketball. I can switch up any rotation I want. If I put you out there, it’s time for you to go because the team doesn’t have time to wait.”
The game was a rematch after the teams met Dec. 29 in the Kingston Tournament, with Herky prevailing 63-46. It followed the same pattern, with the Blackcats building a 21-7 lead in the first quarter this time, compared to an 18-8 margin before.
Herculaneum improved to 7-4 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Jefferson fell to 5-12 and 0-3.
“We knew they’d be hungry because we had beaten them a couple weeks ago,” Blair said. “It was very scrappy out there. Both teams like each other (personally) when it’s not on the playing field. When they get on the court, it’s all game.”
Blackcat boys beat Blue Jays in overtime
The last of the four Hoops for Hope games was the best – a pulse-pounding thriller.
Led by senior Matt Coffman’s 21 points and 18 rebounds, the Blackcats held off the Blue Jays in overtime 77-69.
Sophomore Easton Null led the way offensively for Jefferson with 24 points.
The conference rivals banged on each other all night, racking up 54 combined fouls. Chandler Jansen and James Moloney fouled out for Herky while Dustin Brown, Dakota Jakoubek and Daniel McWhorter exited early for Jefferson.
The Blue Jays came up short despite their considerable advantage from the free-throw line, where they made 26 of 36 shots (72.2 percent), compared to Herky’s 51.2 percent (22 of 43).
“There were a lot of fouls called,” Blackcat head coach Jason Jarvis said. “In the second half, I felt like none of the calls were going our way, but you’ve got to play through that.”