by CLAREMORE – Cenia Hayes (Cherokee) scored 19 points on Saturday afternoon, but the Hillcats came on strong in the final quarter to steal a 70-62 win from the RiverHawks.
Hayes nearly had a double-double, finishing just one rebound short. Shae Sanchez scored 14 points and cleared the 1,000 point mark in her career early in the first quarter.
The RiverHawks came out of the gate on fire, opening the game on a 7-0 run, sparked by a three from Cenia Hayes. Britney Ho followed with a layup while Cielo McClain grabbed a defensive rebound and took it the length of the floor to hit a jumper. The Hillcats got back to within three, but Hayes took a pass from Tree Brooks and hit a layup to make it a five-point NSU advantage.
Rogers State started the second quarter on a 7-1 run, but after McClain hit a layup, Hayes drilled a three to tie the game at 19. NSU pulled ahead when Hayes hit a layup, then took advantage of a RSU turnover to hit a jumper, giving NSU the lead. After the Hillcats tied the game, Morgan Lee hit a three from the corner.
Sanchez hit a jumper to extend the NSU lead to five. RSU then went on a 5-0 run to tie the game with 1:57 left. The RiverHawks would end the half on a 6-2 run, with Hayes hitting a trey and a pair of free throws to take a 34-30 lead into the locker room.
The RiverHawks and Hillcats were even in the third quarter, with the RiverHawks out-rebounding RSU 12-10. After the Hillcats took the lead with 2:32 left in the quarter, Britney Ho took a pass from Brooks and hit a layup. RSU responded on the other end, but NSU ended the quarter on a 4-0 run, with Morgan Hellyer hitting a layup and Brooks hitting a pair of free throws in the final minute.
Sanchez started the fourth quarter with a deep three, but RSU would use a 7-0 run to take the lead with 7:06 left. They would take a six-point lead with just 1:46 left, but the RiverHawks weren’t going to go down quietly, as Maegan Lee picked up a steal and immediately drew a foul. After she hit both free throws, Brooks got a steal and took it coast to coast to bring NSU to within two. RSU would hit a jumper at the other end to take a four-point advantage and go 4-4 from the line in the final minute to hold off the RiverHawks.
