Rematch with Boylan Waiting for Hononegah

By Chris Johnson, REPORTER          

 Only one loss sits on the Hononegah Lady Indians NIC-10 scorecard. They fell to the Boylan Lady Titans on Nov. 29, 73-52. This Friday, Jan. 20, they get a chance to set the record straight. Boylan is in charge right now. They are the NIC-10 leaders and they are showing no signs of being willing to give it up. East has challenged them, as has Guilford, Harlem and Belvidere North. Hononegah gave it the post-Thanksgiving shot. Nothing has mattered. The Lady Titans are undefeated, State-ranked and looking for many new contributions for the trophy case.

The Lady Indians are attempting to rebuild a winning streak. Over the holiday break, Hononegah discovered a losing one. It lasted three games and involved Maine West, Oak Park-Fenwick and Maine South. Since the new year began, Hononegah has been perfect. They knocked off Guilford 82-30 on Jan. 6 and toppled Freeport 72-37 on Friday, Jan. 13. Jordan King set a school record in the win over Freeport as she paced the Lady Indians with 39 points. She started hot and carried her efforts into the third quarter. She didn’t score in the fourth. She rested as Hononegah claimed the win. After scoring half of her team’s total points in the opening period, King added 14 more in the second one and entered the halftime break with 26 points scored. The Lady Indians held the 24-5 lead after one and increased it to 45-16 at the half.

Freeport was able to discover a percentage of its offense in the third frame, as they scored nine points in that period. Hononegah was held to 16 points scored and moved into the final period up 61-25. King went to the bench as other players stepped in to finish the final period.

The Lady Pretzels were productive in the fourth quarter. They scored twelve points, shared by three players. From the free throw line, Freeport ended the period with ten chances. They hit seven-of-ten. Hononegah scored eleven points in the final period and held on for the 72-37 win.

Boylan is next. The Conference title is on the line in many respects for Hononegah. Being at home will be a huge advantage for the Lady Indians. They have to find a way to win if they want to try to track down the NIC-10 Title.

Only eight games remain on the regular season schedule for Hononegah. The home stand continues Tuesday, Jan. 24 as Harlem visits. A trip to Belvidere on Jan. 26 precedes a return visit home and another challenge awaits as the Rockford East E-Rabs bring their high-powered offense into Rockton.

Games against Guilford, Jefferson, Belvidere North and Rockford Auburn wind down the winter sports regular season schedule for Hononegah this year. The IHSA Class 3A and Class 4A State Playoffs begin the week of Feb.12