The latest chapter of the Highland/Lone Tree girls basketball rivalry ended in an instant classic for the Huskie girls last night, as they dethroned the defending SEISC North champions by a final of 60-47.

Both teams struggled to score through the first eight minutes, with the score being a close 8-7 advantage for the Huskies headed into the second. Highland and #10 Lone Tree would match points in the second frame, meaning Highland took a slim 22-21 advantage into the locker rooms. However, it was the second half play by Jody Fink’s team that allowed them to pull away from the mighty Lady Lions, netting seven points in the third and five in the fourth to score a crucial early season conference upset victory.

Freshman Kamryn Fink feasted on the Lone Tree defense, scoring a monster 32 points to lead all scorers. The next closest scorer had 10 points. Fink was followed by Katie Herrig’s 10 and Mackenzie Davis’s eight, despite fouling out. Lone Tree was led by Finley Jacque, Cate Sexton and Ava Christofferson all with 10 points. Unofficially, the Lady Lions outrebounded the Huskies 36-28. Lone Tree also won the turnover contest 12-14, committing two fewer than their Riverside rivals.

Highland Head Coach Jody Fink joined KCII Sports postgame to talk about his team’s upset victory over rival Lone Tree. “We figured it was going to be a dogfight all the way through. Give it to our girls that they finished. They stayed disciplined throughout the entire game. We got a little impatient a couple times, but they held their own all the way through,” Fink said. “I know when we see them in January, it’ll be another dogfight, and Ryan [Shelman] will have his girls ready for us when we’re over there.”

Fink also talked about freshman Kamryn Fink’s 32-point performance. “She’s put in a lot of time. She’s got a long way to go, so hopefully this isn’t one of her best games overall, but for right now in the short season she’s done a great job. Teams are going to adjust to her as well as we go through [the season]. She’s going to have a lot more work to do,” Fink said.

With the win, Highland moves to 3-0 on the young season and 1-0 in SEISC play, while #10 Lone Tree drops to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play. Along with the Area Game of the Week, both squads are off until next week for Thanksgiving break. Next Tuesday, Highland hosts Hillcrest, Lone Tree hosts Columbus, and the Area Game of the Week has a rivalry doubleheader in the SICL between the Sigourney Savages and the Keota Eagles.