Coming off a 53-37 win over Gardner Edgerton the night before, the Huskies came into the game against Shawnee Heights looking to continue their winning streak. The team was able to get off to a quick start, leading the Thunderbirds, 15-8, at the end of the first quarter. 

A crucial part of the Huskies early lead was senior Megan Edwards. Edwards scored 15 of her 18 points in the first half, helping the Huskies take control. She said it felt good to get a lead, especially coming off a game the night before where the team struggled with foul trouble down the stretch.

“It felt good to get a lead in the first half. Yesterday we were in foul trouble and it became a mess, but to take control and feel comfortable early feels nice,” Edwards said.

The Huskies entered halftime with a 30-18 lead. Junior Hayley Numrich said the team did a good job on defense sticking to their gameplan.

“We face guarding some of their better players and trying to keep their good shooters from shooting and I feel like we did a good job with that,” Numrich said.

The Huskies carried their momentum over from the first half, extending their lead to 14 points by the end of the third quarter. But in the fourth quarter, the Thunderbirds offense started to click as they shortened the Huskies lead. Head coach Matt Shulman said the team’s mindset began to shift, but he credited the team’s ability to fight.

“Our mindset started to become ‘play not to lose’ and I think some fatigue started from last night’s game. We relied on our starters pretty hard, but they did a good job battling and fighting through,” Shulman said.

Down the stretch, the Huskies had some crucial turnovers that allowed Shawnee Heights to start a comeback. Edwards said the team was trying to focus on slowing down and staying in control to keep their lead.

“In the fourth quarter they brought a lot of pressure and it caused us to make some turnovers,” Edwards said. “We had to remind ourselves to relax as a team and be patient.”

With the win, the Huskies improve their record to 6-3. The team’s next game is scheduled to be at Olathe Northwest on Friday, Jan. 29.