Basketball Recap: Hilliard Comes Up Short

After flying high against Fernandina Beach last Tuesday, Hilliard came back down to earth. The Hilliard Red Flashes took a 57-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Nease Panthers on Thursday. If the Red Flashes were looking for revenge after losing 45-24 to them when the teams met, then they'll just have to keep looking.

When it comes to explaining why Hilliard lost, don't look at Alyssa Hallman. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 17 points and 14 rebounds. Hilliard is 11-2 when Hallman posts eight or more boards, but 3-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Kailyn Ballance, who posted 11 points.

Nease's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Audrey Rollins, who had 14 points and five rebounds. Rollins has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. Another player making a difference was McKenna Owens, who went 5 for 9 on her way to 11 points and five steals.

Hilliard has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 14-8 record this season. As for Nease, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 11-11.

Hilliard does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Nease has also already played their next game, a 39-38 defeat against Tocoi Creek on the 31st.