Huffman ignites California’s rout of Jefferson-Morgan
Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter California's Kat Pankratz attempts to pass to a teammate through the defense of Jefferson-Morgan's Morgan Simkovic and Ally Bogden during the second half of Thursday.
Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter California's Lyndsey Huhn scores a second-half basket against Jefferson-Morgan Thursday.
Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter Jefferson-Morgan's Morgan Simkovic is fouled by California's Kylie Huffman during the first half Thursday.
JEFFERSON – Injuries are inevitable in sports. Bumps, bruises, strains and even broken bones are common, but California sophomore forward Kylie Huffman underwent surgery that threatened to cost her the high school basketball season.
Huffman, a first team selection on the Observer-Reporter All-District Team as a freshman, was diagnosed with a genetic disorder in the Medial Patellofemoral Ligament in her knee, which causes the knee cap to dislocate. She was forced to miss six months of basketball after undergoing surgery in June where doctors replaced her patella tendon with a cadaver’s ACL.
Huffman joined her teammates in late December and dealt with the frustrations of returning from surgery. As she worked to get into game condition, the Trojans continued to dominate opponents on both ends of the floor, defeating Section 3-A rival Jefferson-Morgan Jan. 1 to control first place.
When the two teams met again Thursday night, Huffman looked like her old self, knocking down three-pointers and driving through the Rockets’ zone defense as California defeated Jefferson-Morgan, 50-27, to clinch at least a share of the Section 3-A title.
Huffman scored a game-high 17 points, including five three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots. The victory by California (12-0, 19-1) seals a second consecutive section title and the program’s second since 1982. The Trojans have won 19 straight games since losing their season-opener to Mars, which is 16-2 in Class AAA.
“I can still feel tentative going inside to the basket, so I just stuck to the outside and shot threes,” Huffman said. “I’m getting my feet back under me and, really, I’m just taking it one game at a time. It was just great to get this win.”
The 6-2 sophomore has added another dimension to the Trojans’ front court, which features senior Lyndsey Huhn, a 6-0 center. In the opening minutes against the Rockets (10-2, 16-2), Cal passed inside to Huhn, who drew a double team before passing back to the perimeter.
Huffman made three three-pointers in the first quarter and freshman Bailey Vig added five points as the Trojans led 20-4 at the end of the first quarter. Vig finished with 10 points for Cal and sophomore Jenna Miller added eight first-half points.
“(Huffman) has her legs underneath her,” Cal head coach Chris Minerd said. “Her shots in the first half opened it up for Lyndsey and the rest of the team. I’m very pleased with how we played offensively, and I think our defense did an excellent job. Our shooting extended them and forced their hand a bit.”
Jefferson-Morgan has a reputation as an effective three-point shooting team, but Cal’s hot start threw the Rockets off their rhythm. In the first meeting between the two teams, J-M slowed the pace of the game and worked to get the guards open on the perimeter. Facing a quick deficit altered the game and the Rockets fell 39-32.
“(Cal) came out hitting shots, which really made the girls lose their patience a bit,” Jefferson-Morgan head coach Chris Niemiec said. “They got into the mindset that they had to hurry up and score back to keep up. It kind of spiraled out of control from there.”
Jefferson-Morgan found room in the Trojans’ man-to-man defense in the second quarter and drew to within 14 points, but Miller’s two fast break lay ups gave Cal a 28-13 lead at halftime.
Junior guard Kayla Yorko led the Rockets with nine points and sophomore Erin Confortini chipped in six points.
Though Huhn scored just seven points, she grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked a shot, That type of effort has allowed Huffman to play an outside game until she is ready to use her finesse moves in the lane.
The two combined for 10 of California’s 14 third-quarter points and helped the Trojans build a 19-point lead entering the final eight minutes. As California prepares to enter the WPIAL Class A playoffs with a top-four seed, Minerd was able to evaluate his depth in the fourth quarter with senior Brooke Clements, senior Olivia Helmick, sophomore Dominique Gaston and freshman Marissa Bitoni.
With Huffman back and the rest of the lineup building off a state playoff appearance a year ago, the goal has not changed.
“A section title was the goal and that’s the first step,” Huffman said. “We want to make it to the Petersen Events Center and hopefully win a WPIAL title.”