The Heartland Lutheran Red Hornets had to endure an 11-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They had just enough and edged Hampton out 37-34. The victory was just what Heartland Lutheran needed coming off of a 73-37 loss in their prior game.
Heartland Lutheran found their leader in underclassman Ella Francl, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Francl has scored all season. Taylor Lemburg was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with eight rebounds.
Hampton's loss on Thursday came despite strong showings from Gavin Gilmore and Nevaeh Lukassen. Gilmore dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Lukassen scored ten points along with seven rebounds and six blocks. The match was Gilmore's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Alana Wiarda, who scored six points.
Even though they lost, Hampton were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Heartland Lutheran only pulled down 23 offensive rebounds.
Heartland Lutheran's victory ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 1-2. As for Hampton, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-3.
Heartland Lutheran will be playing at home against Nebraska Christian at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Hampton won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Osceola at 6:00 p.m. on December 8th. Hopefully Osceola focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 18 on Thursday.
