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HHS girls bounce back in big way with decisive victory over Herrin

It's probably fair to say that not even Harrisburg head coach Jake Stewart could have expected the performance he received out of his girls' squad Tuesday evening.

The Lady Bulldogs ran roughshod over a very solid Herrin Tigers team, 61-42, in second-round play of the Herrin Holiday Hoops Tournament.

The Dawgs made almost a complete turnaround from the night before when losing to Pinckneyville by a bucket.

"This team tonight is who we are and we should be every night," Stewart said. "I'll take the credit for last night. We took a little too much time off, I think. We weren't as prepared as we needed to be. Tonight, we came out and played well against a really good Herrin team."

Stewart said the win was his first in six years on the Herrin home floor.

"We held (Herrin 6-foot senior center Hannah) Groutage to under 10 points (8) and that's not easy to do. She's a good player. This is a big win for us and our program."

Harrisburg was led in scoring by Matty Hawkins and Jessica Hopson, who each tallied 15 points.

Joining them in double figures was Karsyn Davis with 11. Lotte Miller added seven.

The Dawgs led 29-22 at the half and expanded the lead to 12 after three periods at 45-33.

Harrisburg will have tonight off and return to tournament action in Herrin Thursday morning at 11 against Pope County before closing out the meet with Vienna at 6 p.m.

"We still have work to do," Stewart said. The Bulldogs now stand 11-3 overall.