HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High’s girls entered halftime on a high note Thursday.
After a scoring lull to start the game, the Lady Cubs had picked up the pace considerably.
A 13-4 run pushed Humboldt ahead of Riverton, 24-18, at intermission of their Class 3A Substate opener.
But the Rams emerged from the locker room intent on stopping pretty much everything Humboldt wanted to do.
And they did.
Riverton took the lead in the third quarter with a 12-4 run and shut the door on any kind of Lady Cub rally down the stretch to prevail, 42-34.
The loss ends Humboldt’s season with a 13-7 record. Riverton (12-8) advances to take on Girard, a 56-9 winner over Baxter Springs, next Tuesday in the substate semifinals.
“That third quarter funk was pretty big, and we gave them too many second chances,” said Humboldt head coach Aubrey Jones, whose coaching career at HHS ended with Thursday’s loss. “Unfortunately, we just got a little ‘out-toughed.’”
Humboldt struggled in the early going, trailing 6-0 before senior forward Shelby Shaughnessy converted on a bucket inside 3 minutes into the contest. She missed the subsequent free throw, but an offensive rebound and kickout put the ball in the hands of McKenna Jones, who drained a 3-pointer to pull the Lady Cubs within a point.
Shaugnessy’s bucket with 2:45 left in the quarter gave Humboldt its first lead of the contest at 9-8 before the Rams ended the period with a 7-2 run.
Things started looking dour when Humboldt junior Ricklyn Hillmon exited the game with an injury early in the second quarter.
“She’s such a nice, sweet kid who everybody loves,” Coach Jones said. “That’s the last thing you want to see, but I think our girls were almost inspired to play after that.”
McKenna Jones knotted the score at 15-15 with a 3-pointer at the 5:20 mark of the half before Shaughnessy scored six over the final 4 minutes of the half and Humboldt held a 24-18 lead at the break.
But Riverton extended its defensive pressure in the third quarter, effectively collapsing inside to swarm Shaughnessy — often before her teammates could get the ball to her — while still effectively obstructing the Lady Cub shooters on the outside.
Humboldt’s Jo Ellison and Laney Hull scored 40 seconds apart midway in the third quarter, but that was all the Lady Cubs could muster.
Riverton’s Ellie Helms hit a 3-pointer at the 2-minute mark of the period to give the Rams a 30-28 lead.
