Girls Basketball: River Rats had plenty to cheer about in 2020 season

The end is never easy, and it wasn’t easy on Friday night for the Huron girls’ basketball team. But as the disappointment of losing a District final to a very good Saline team begins to fade, the realization of what they accomplished will rise to the top for an impressive group of young and talented basketball players.

Huron finished with a 19-4 overall record and went 9-1 in the competitive SEC Red Division to finish in first place. They placed ahead of Saline, Bedford and Pioneer – three very strong programs.

Their 7-2 non-conference record included wins over some very good teams such as Muskegon, Wayne Memorial, Arbor Prep, Flat Rock and Chandler Park.

“The girls played hard this year and never gave up,” said Huron Coach Scott Hunter. “The team showed great competitive spirit by playing until the final buzzer in every game. They came together as a team and lived up to the program expectations of 100 percent effort, positive attitude, and putting the team before yourself.”

Hunter said it was a “pleasure” to work with this group.

“We out rebounded our opponents this season 36-34 which was a nice accomplishment for not being a very tall team,” Hunter said. “Also, the team averaged 56 points a game and 12 assists. Defensively, we improved throughout the season holding our last five opponents to an average of 44 points a game and 34 percent shooting.”

The River Rats were well represented on the All-SEC team.

Siena Smith, Jayden Smith and Reeya Patel all made the First Team. Seniors Khady Ba and Alexa Lyon were named Honorable Mention.

Pioneer sophomores Lauren DeWolf and Alexis Clark also were named to the First Team All-SEC. Sophomore Mya Hicks was named Honorable Mention.