Hamilton Heights’ Bayleigh Eisele scored 16 points and collected six rebounds during the Huskies’ season-opening win over Frankton Tuesday. (Richie Hall)
By RICHIE HALL
ARCADIA – This year’s edition of the Hamilton Heights girls basketball team is very young.
Six of the players on the Huskies’ varsity roster are freshman, followed by two sophomores and two juniors. But after cruising to a home-floor victory over Frankton 61-38 on Wednesday to open its season, Heights made it clear that the young pups can handle running with the big dogs.
“We’ve got some really talented kids,” said second-year Huskies coach Erin Trimpe. Heights started four freshmen, and they accounted for 48 of the Huskies’ 61 points.
“I was really proud of the effort that they showed and the physicality in the varsity basketball game for it being their first one,” said Trimpe.
Heights led 24-2 after the first quarter, with all of the points scored by freshmen. Riley Suarez, one of the stars of the Huskies’ regional champion volleyball team, led with 11 points. Bayleigh Eisele scored eight and Addison Blum added five points.
“Bayleigh’s motor is so high,” said Trimpe. “She never stops. She’s almost always our leading rebounder and our energy leader in practice, so we were super proud of the effort that she showed today. And then Riley’s just a natural basketball player. She has so much skill and so many levels to her game.”
The fifth starter was Kamryn Rhoton, one of the two juniors on the team. Rhoton, who recently committed to play softball at Bradley University, is joined by junior Reece Blanton and sophomores Abi Hilfiker and Sarah Sherrill as returning players from last year.
Trimpe said Rhoton and Blanton were the team’s energy leaders last season “and they knew the culture that I wanted to set and the bar that we wanted to set for them. And they come in every day and push those freshmen into a little bit of discomfort to make sure that they’re reaching what they can.”
Heights maintained its lead after the first quarter, staying up by double digits throughout the third period. The Huskies were up 33-8 at halftime and 46-23 after three quarters.
Suarez finished the game with 19 points, while Eisele scored 16 points and led the rebounds with six. Rhoton and freshman Zoey Curry both collected five rebounds.
The Huskies play Friday at Noblesville, then host Jay County on Saturday.
