CREVE COEUR – In basketball, no additional points are awarded for degree of difficulty.
If they were, the Hickman girls basketball team would be replacing scoreboard bulbs on a regular basis.
Ashtyn Klusmeyer and Sy’Rae Stemmons combined for 38 points while displaying a mastery of the fadeaway jumper and off-balance runner, as Hickman captured the Rotating 8 championship with a 55-31 victory over Eureka Thursday at Whitfield School.
Hickman (12-5) won its fourth consecutive game, including a victory over Vashon at the Sophie Cunningham Classic earlier in the week. The Kewpies also placed fourth in the 16-team Visitation Christmas Tournament in their first appearance at the prestigious event.
“It’s really great for us to get more exposure. We want to do the best that we can, get our name out there and just attack every game we take on,” Klusmeyer said.
Led by outstanding perimeter defense by senior Kylee Pickens, Eureka (9-7) pressured the ball, challenged shots, and held the explosive Hickman offense to just 22 points in the first half.
“We executed defensively really well in the first half. They missed some shots, but we did what we wanted. We were ready, we just couldn’t score,” Eureka coach C.J. Herbert said.
Hickman also put the clamps down defensively, holding Eureka to just four made field goals in the first half, and the teams sluggishly entered halftime with the Kewpies leading 22-13.
“That’s a very good Eureka team, and to hold them to 13 points at the half, I was very pleased with that,” Hickman coach Morgan Scott said.
In the third quarter, Hickman increased its intensity on defense and the degree of difficulty on offense.
Klusmeyer started a 22-point quarter for the Kewpies with a contested right wing 3. On the next trip, she spun in the post and drained a fadeaway 16-footer.
Sophomore Caroline Eastman’s deep triple polished off a quick 8-1 run to begin the third quarter as Hickman opened a 16-point lead.
“Our offense leads from our defense. Once we reset our minds, we picked up our defense, got very aggressive in the gaps and that got us going,” said Klusmeyer, who led the Kewpies with 21 points.
Stemmons, who scored 17 points, joined in the tough, shot-making exhibition.
She drove the lane, and while drifting to her left, shot back to her right and swished it. Moments later, Stemmons connected on another high-difficulty, off-balance jumper.
“It’s just reps, over and over, and getting used to it,” Stemmons said of her ability to make off-balance shots.
The Kewpies’ ability to master difficult tasks was not limited to their offense.
Junior Jayla Griffith, a 5-foot-9 guard, was charged with the task of guarding Eureka 5-foot-11 senior Bailey Boulay, who averages 16.3 points per game.
Boulay consistently backed her way into the post, but outstanding post defense by Griffith held Boulay scoreless for the first 11 minutes of the second half.
“It’s definitely harder being a post player,” Griffith said. “We work on it in practice, so I had some experience.”
The combination of strong defense and impressive shot-making allowed Hickman to build a 24-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“They are really good defensively, and all of sudden they hit some shots and it got away from us quick,” Herbert said.
For Hickman, the ability to get away to new venues, face quality opponents and experience success has improved team chemistry and confidence.
“It’s really fun for us to have these experiences, and this tournament was a great experience,” Klusmeyer said.