BASKETBALL: DHS girls fall to tourney host Herrin
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The DuQuoin High School Girls Basketball Team took on the host Herrin Tigers in the Holiday Hoops Tournament at Herrin on Wednesday evening.
Olivia Newton John should have been singing "Let's Get Physical" for this game. Simply put--it was a very physical game with Herrin putting the game away in the final two minutes.
The final score was 52-46 Herrin, but the six point spread does not indicate how hard DuQuoin battled with Herrin.The Indians worked hard on defense, and fell just slightly short on offense to a physically larger team.
DuQuoin got off to a quick start and ended the first quarter ahead 8-2. Herrin battled back to take the lead at half-time 20-17. In the third quarter, DuQuoin took the lead at 24-23. The third quarter ended with Herrin up 31-30. In the fourth quarter, DuQuoin had Cassidy Rice and Rebekah Maddox both foul out. Herrin was able to make free throws in the final two minutes to pull ahead. The final score was 52-46.
DuQuoin's record overall is 8-5 and 1-2 in the tournament. Herrin moves to 2-1 in the tournament while Pinckneyville leads the tournament with a 3-0 record.
DuQuoin Coach Shawn File commented that "the intensity was good on both sides. We had a fantastic effort from all of our girls. We are growing as a team. Playing in close games helps us against good competition. We are developing a smart basketball IQ. We made some strides tonight." Jason James is the Assistant Coach for the Indians.
DuQuoin's Jessica Hirsch led all scorers with 23 points including four-three pointers. Rebekah Maddox had 11 points, Taylor King 6, Keawna Anders 3, and Ashley Ward 3. Hailey Stewart, Abby Myers, Cassidy Rice, Curry Emling, and Steffanie Gates also saw playing time for the Indians.
Herrin was led in scoring by Haley Elders with 16 points. Abby Horn scored 11, Kim Deming 6, Stephanie Diaz 6, Tori Johnson 5, Jesika Alongi 4, and Olivia Caldwell 4.
DuQuoin is scheduled to play at 11:45 a.m. in Gym A against Vienna on Thursday morning. In the 6:30 p.m. game, DuQuoin plays Murphysboro. Pinckneyville plays Murphysboro at 11:00 a.m. and then takes on Herrin at 8:00 p.m. in the final game of the tournament. Pinckneyville is the only team in the tournament with no losses. They will need to finish strong and beat both Murphysboro and Herrin tomorrow to win the tournament outright. If Herrin could pull off an upset win, there would be a tie for first place. The Panthers can control their own destiny on Thursday. Two wins would give them the championship. Trophies will be awarded at the end of the tournament as well as an All-Tournament Team selected.