HUMBOLDT — Every now and then, high school sports fans are treated to a performance you have to see to believe.
Enter Ashley Singhateh, Eureka High’s sophomore dynamo.
All the 5-8 Singhateh did was score inside, outside and everywhere in between for 19 points — in the first quarter alone.
“She just went unconscious,” Humboldt High head coach Aubrey Jones said. “She’s a phenomenal player. You know she’s capable of that, and unfortunately she showed us all just how capable she was.”
Singhateh wasn’t finished after her first-quarter eruption, ending with 36 points, despite not playing beyond the third quarter in a 57-23 Eureka victory Friday.
Humboldt’s loss comes in the 2021-22 season-opener.
Surely, the Lady Cubs won’t run into many players this season capable of taking over a game like Singhateh did, right?
“Gosh, I hope not,” Jones laughed.
But the crazy part was, despite Eureka’s torrid start — Humboldt trailed 22-6 after the first quarter — Jones found plenty of reason for optimism.
“I thought our girls worked hard, and we were able to slow them down and force them to play at our pace,” Jones said. “Our girls fought with everything they had. We knew we were going to be outmanned tonight, and we knew we were going to be outsized. That’s gonna be a problem all season — we are short.
“But they gave me everything they had and more.”
Humboldt trailed 36-10 at halftime and 55-18 after three periods.
Karley Wools led the Lady Cubs with eight points. Karsyn Haviland and Brooklyn Ellis each had five.
Brooklyn Ptacek added 11 points, and Abby Singhateh scored eight for the Tornadoes.
Jones praised her team’s positive attitude, despite the hefty deficit.
“They stayed positive. They were encouraging each other, right up to the end. As a coach, even at the end of the day, if that’s what you come away with, that’s gonna be good to move forward.”
Humboldt has three games next week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as part of Humboldt’s preseason tournament.
