WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The (RV) Huntington women’s basketball team closed out its pre-Thanksgiving schedule with a strong 71–59 non-conference win over Saint Xavier Tuesday night inside Platt Arena. With the victory, the Foresters improve to 6–3, while the Cougars return to Chicago with an identical 6–3 record. The matchup marked the first meeting between the schools since 2018, when SXU posted a 79–73 win, but this year’s contest belonged to HU from the second quarter on.

The Foresters fell behind early, trailing 20–11 with just under 90 seconds remaining in the opening frame. But a momentum-shifting sequence sparked by back-to-back threes from Annaka Nelson – one to end the first quarter and another to open the second – ignited a 15–0 Huntington run. During that burst, Addie Shank tallied all five of her points and the Foresters flipped the game completely. The HU defense clamped down, holding SXU to just nine second-quarter points, while the offense poured in 23 to take a 37–29 halftime lead.

Although the Foresters controlled most of the contest, Saint Xavier refused to go quietly. Just a few minutes into the fourth quarter, the Cougars whittled the deficit down to a single point. HU’s response, however, was immediate. Kyndell Jochim knocked down a timely jumper to steady the Foresters, and moments later Liv Raby delivered a surge of her own – six points in roughly 60 seconds – to rebuild the cushion. With 2:30 remaining, Peyton Hartsough drilled a dagger three to push the lead to 64–57.

Huntington closed the game on a 7–2 run to secure the double-digit win, marking HU’s fifth double-figure victory of the season.

Balanced scoring once again defined HU’s success, with three Foresters finishing in double figures. Kyndra Sheets matched her season high with 13 points, adding four rebounds and four assists. Annaka Nelson stuffed the stat sheet, posting 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Liv Raby added 13 points, eight boards and four assists. Hartsough provided valuable minutes off the bench with eight points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting performance which included two from deep.

As a team, Huntington shot 48.2% from the field, 83.3% from the line, knocked down 7 threes, and won the rebounding battle 41-32. HU also turned 15 Saint Xavier turnovers into 14 points and outscored the Cougars 40-36 in the paint.

Saint Xavier was led by Jaidn Green with 19 points, while Veronica Bafia added 16 points. Brooklynn Johnson and Maeve Egan chipped in 10 and 11 points respectively to round out the Cougars’ double digit scorers. Their early offensive rhythm faded after the first quarter, as evidenced by the game’s only tie and five of the six lead changes occuring in the opening ten minutes.

With the win, the Foresters carry strong momentum into the holiday break and will return to Crossroads League action next week. HU heads to Grace on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off with the Lancers.