Humboldt High’s girls had to battle a little early lethargy Friday.
Less than 24 hours after a gut-wrenching overtime loss to league rival Cherryvale, the Lady Cubs were back in action Friday for the third-place game of Iola’s War on 54 Tournament.
Humboldt slogged its way through a rough first half against St. Paul, securing a 17-11 lead at halftime.
“We were a little rough,” Humboldt head coach Aubrey Jones said. “I’m sure there was a little bit of that tiredness, a little bit of a letdown in a 3:30 game with no atmosphere.”
Call it a spirited halftime talk — “Our come to Jesus talk,” Jones said with a grin — but Humboldt emerged from the locker room with renewed vigor.
“We were a little lazy with the ball in the first half,” Jones said. “We were a little tired. We decided we don’t get tired. We’re gonna fix it and go.”
Go, they did.
Humboldt blasted the Indians with a 15-0 run at one point to stretch its lead to 42-19 by the end of the third quarter in a 53-28 victory.
Shelby Shaughnessy led the way, with 19 points, followed by Laney Hull with 10 and Chanlynn Wrestler with eight.
Megan Doherty scored 12 to lead St. Paul.
Jones was happy, not only with the better energy level, but Humboldt’s improved play on the perimeter.
“We’re getting better. The girls are much better at getting set to shoot. Chanlynn is shooting well. Laney (Hull) is getting pretty good looks, and we all know McKenna (Jones) can shoot the ball.”
With the victory, Humboldt (7-5) is eager to embark on the second half of the 2024-25 season, starting Tuesday at Anderson County. Much of the latter half of the regular season will focus on Tri-Valley League opponents.
“We’re gonna get another shot at Cherryvale for a third time, we’ll get another chance with Neodesha. Our kids are so competitive, and these games can get so hyped and so intense. We’re looking forward to it.”
Humboldt (8-9-25-15—53)
FG/3pt FT F TP
Hall 2 2 3 6
Hottenstein 2 0 2 4
Jones 0 1 1 1
Wrestler 1/2 0 1 8
Daniels 1 0 0 2
Shaughnessy 8 3 2 19
Meadows 0 1 1 1
Hull 2/2 0 1 10
Ellison 1 0 1 2
Totals 17/4 7 12 53
St. Paul (4-7-8-7—26)
Dent 0/1 0 1 3
Harris 0 0 4 0
Doherty 3/2 1 4 12
O’Brien 0 0 4 0
Pecha 0 0 1 0
Deegan 2 1 2 5
Mathis 4 0 1 8
Totals 9/3 1 17 26
