BROWNSTOWN — Totaling just nine points in the first half, the Hauser girls basketball dug itself too deep a hole on the road.
The Jets’ offense stalled early and didn’t kick in until the deficit was too large, and they fell to Brownstown Central 55-33 on Thursday.
Playing an aggressive man-to-man, the Braves stifled and harassed the Jets early and often.
Brownstown (13-8) opened the game on a 7-0 run, holding the Jets (11-6) scoreless until Taylor Henderson buried a 3-pointer at the 2:53 mark.
The Braves finished the quarter by out-scoring the Jets 12-5 — including a 8-0 streak before the buzzer — behind five points from Payton Farmer off the bench.
In the first quarter, Hauser turned the ball over six times while only recording three field goals and racking-up six fouls, across three starters, to trail 19-7. The Jets went 2 for 4 from the free-throw line for just two points in the second quarter.
Buckets by Kristen Stuckwisch and Leah Stidam got the Brownstown scoring going, and Madison Klinge drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish the half to lead 30-9.
At intermission, the Braves dominated the boards 20-11 in while also forcing nine Hauser turnovers.
“I think the shots weren’t falling, but our offense was also sluggish,” Jets coach Brad Hamilton said. “I don’t think we were mentally prepared for their constant ball pressure.”
Brownstown put together a 8-0 scoring streak from the 5:19 to 2:31 mark to build a 41-13 lead in the third quarter.
Hauser scored seven unanswered points, highlighted by a trey from Ali Hoover, but the Braves’ lead extended to 43-20 after 24 minutes of play.
While the Jets scored 13 points to the Braves’ 12 in the final eight minutes, the Braves were able to coast to the win while emptying their bench.
Tori Chandler topped Hauser with nine points. Hamilton said he was pleased with the second-half effort after a frustrating start.
“I think we showed a lot of heart the second half,” he said. “That’s what I love about this team — they’re going to give me 150 percent no matter what the score is on the scoreboard.”
