by Warren Kozireski
Maria Jackson scored ten of her team-high 14 points in the second half and Hilton hit five-of-six at the free throw line over the final 15 seconds to defeat Fairport 42-37 in girls basketball. The game was the middle one of three high school girls games played at Roberts Wesleyan with proceeds to benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Hilton jumped out to a 10-2 lead before Fairport returned with a 9-0 run in the first quarter.
The Red Raiders led by three early in the second half, but the Cadets used six points from Jackson, two treys from Cameron Graupman and a lay-up by Amy Hasenauer during a 15-0 spurt putting them up by 12 in the fourth quarter.
Fairport pulled back to within two points of the lead with 17 seconds remaining, but Hasenauer and Jackson each hit both ends of their one-and-one and Lauren Anten hit one of two free throws to seal the victory.
“They (Fairport) did a nice job handling the ball and we were a little flat, but we were able to hang on,” said Cadets head coach Jeff Eichas. “Maybe we underestimated them at times and we didn’t take care of the ball as well as we needed to.”
Jackson finished with a team-high 14 points, Graupman had ten and Hasenauer finished with eight points for the 9-4 Cadets.
Hilton finishes the regular season with four games all on the road, including a tilt with first place Gates Chili February 8.
