Scots Roll Past Horn in District Opener
After a rocky start, it’s been quite a momentous week for the Highland Park boys basketball team.
First, Scots head coach David Piehler earned his 400th career victory against Plano John Paul II in a consolation-round game at the Allen Holiday Invitational on Tuesday — just hours after a heartbreaking loss to Frisco Wakeland.
Then, on Wednesday, HP staged a furious rally in the final minute to beat St. Mark’s in the same tournament with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Pete Davis.
On Friday, the Scots stretched their winning streak to three games by surging past Mesquite Horn 61-46 in the District 10-6A opener.
“That’s a good way to start district,” Piehler said. “You’ve got to defend your home court to make the playoffs.”
The Scots (10-8, 1-0) took control early with a 12-2 run, as the Jaguars (8-7, 0-1) didn’t make a field goal until more than halfway through the first quarter. HP extended the lead to as many as 13 points in the second quarter, with consecutive treys by Davis leading the way. Horn also had two points taken away before halftime because of a scoring discrepancy.
Ten players scored as part of a balanced effort for HP, led by 20 points from Davis. Ben Reichert added nine off the bench, while Austin Harrison scored all eight of his points in the second half. Ryan Michael contributed six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
HP was especially strong on defense, using full-court pressure to force several Horn turnovers, and on the boards, where the Scots held a 34-23 rebounding advantage.
“Our defense was good and we rebounded well,” Piehler said. “Our nondistrict [schedule] definitely prepared us. We played a lot of good teams.”
Kendanious Harris tallied all of his team-high 11 points before halftime for Horn, and added nine rebounds. Mike Kolnyang also scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Jaguars.
HP will continue district play on Tuesday when it travels to Lake Highlands.
