Torres helps Eagles avoid post-tournament letdown

One thing coaches have to guard against each season is the “post-tournament hangover.”

The phrase doesn’t reference any partying involved after tournament weeks, but rather an emotional and even physical “fog” that may carry over into a Tuesday game after a tournament.

Such an occurrence was how Brady Page explained his Hennessey Eagles’ 4339 home victory against Watonga last Tuesday.

“It certainly wasn’t pretty,” he said. “I think we still had some effects from the weekend.”

That weekend he referenced was Hennessey winning the Three Rivers Conference Tournament championship thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from James Sims.

Watonga entered having won the consolation title at the tournament, but was hovering right around .500 on the season.

But the visiting Eagles wouldn’t go away against Hennessey, the thirdranked team in Class 2A.

Hennessey never led by more than three at the end of any quarter except the fourth.

The game was spent largely within a couple of possessions of being tied.

Six HHS players scored and five of those contributed in the fourth as Hennessey kept Watonga from catching up.

Hunter Weber knocked down a 3-pointer while Sims, Seth Simunek and Jael Torres each had a field goal.

Layton Choate knocked down his only two free throw attempts.

Meanwhile, Hennessey limited Laron Whiteshield over the final eight minutes. He had 18 points entering the fourth, but had just four in the final quarter.

All that proved enough to push Hennessey to 10-2 and win its eighth straight.

Torres scored a teamhigh 16 points for Hennessey, Sims scored eight while Simunek and Choate each contributed six points.

Bridges burns Lady Eagles in 2nd half

Aubrey Bridges caught fire in the second half to lead Watonga to its second straight win over the Hennessey girls. Bridges scored 28 second- half points Tuesday in Watonga’s 57-44 win at the Eagle Event Center.

The teams had just played the Saturday before as Watonga beat HHS 51-35 in the consolation championship of the Three Rivers Conference Tournament.

On Tuesday, the teams were tied at halftime as Hennessey held Bridges to just two points.

Then the third quarter happened.

The junior knocked down five 3-pointers in the third quarter.

Still Hennessey was largely able to keep pace and only trailed by four points.

Kadee Meeker scored seven points in the frame.

But Bridges scored 11 more in the fourth, including going 6 of 6 from the free throw line, as Watonga outscored Hennessey 16-7.

Bridges finished with 30 points while Shelby Miller added 10.

Meeker hit three 3-pointers in the game and finished with 17.

The Lady Eagles also got 16 points from Katie Kennedy.

The loss dropped Hennessey to 7-4 on the season.