HUMBOLDT — Aubrey Jones had a halftime message for her Humboldt High girls squad Thursday.
The Lady Cubs had been stifling on defense and held a double-digit lead through much of the first half against visiting Crest.
Jones wanted more.
“We talked about making sure we didn’t let up after halftime,” Jones said. “If anything, we wanted to come out twice as hard.”
Message received.
The Lady Cubs allowed only a single field goal to Crest in the second half, steadily pulling away in what became a 54-22 victory.
The win, in the second round of Humboldt’s preseason tournament, lifts the Lady Cubs to 1-2 on the year. Crest falls to 0-3.
“This was much more our style of basketball,” Jones said. “We were calmer, playing together as a team, doing all the things we harp about in practice.”
The game turned in the early going, when Crest senior Aubree Holloran went to the bench with her second foul just minutes into the game.
Humboldt promptly responded with an 11-0 run to lead 15-4. Sophomore Karley Wools was the early catalyst, scoring six for the Lady Cubs in the period.
Holloran returned in the second quarter, and helped keep the Lady Lancers within shouting distance.
She hit a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer to end the second quarter, pulling Crest within nine, 27-18.
Humboldt’s Jada Dangerfield took over in the second half to make sure the Lady Lancers drew no closer.
She scored 11 of Humboldt’s 15 points in the third quarter as the lead swelled to 42-21. Holloran’s bucket with 36 seconds left in the period marked the only field goal for Crest after the break.
The run continued into the fourth quarter. Zoey Wilson’s layup with about 3 minutes left pushed the lead to 30, triggering a running clock and prompting Jones to sit her starters the rest of the way.
