Junior Maya Holser and sophomore Maggie Sneider stepped up big for the girls varsity basketball team on Friday night. With senior Theryn Hallock in foul trouble for most of the game, both girls combined for 16 points. Despite the strong effort, though, the Lady Rangers fell 57-52 to Forest Hills Northern.

“(FHN) played a lot more aggressive on Friday night,” head coach Kristina Prins said. “They are young, and having Faith Walker back in the lineup for them really hurt us.”

After a big 66-45 upset win this past Tuesday against East Grand Rapids, the Lady Rangers felt good about their chances against a lower-half conference team from Forest Hills Northern.

The first quarter was close, with both teams hitting shots from everywhere on the court. Theryn drained a three-pointer and scored two nice baskets inside the paint while Maya and Maggie cleaned up for her on the glass. The two combined for six points in the quarter, getting countless offensive rebounds and putbacks. At the end of the first, the Rangers were up 13-10.

In the second quarter, it was all Theryn. Before getting benched with 3 fouls to end the half, she went three-for-four on free throws and scored four points from a mid-range shot and a nice finish at the hoop. Despite Theryn playing great, the only other scorer in the quarter for the Rangers was Maya when she went two for two from the line.

What hurt the most for the Rangers was Theryn out of the game and a healthy Faith Walker in for the Huskies. Faith scored eight points in the quarter and could not be stopped in the paint. At the end of the first half, the Lady Rangers were down 29-22.

Second-half play started up and it was more of the same battle, with Theryn scoring eight points in the quarter including a three-pointer and two tough finishes: one resulted in a foul and one she put in. Fellow senior Madison Wilkins also got some minutes in the third quarter and scored on a nice paint shot that went in. Along with both of the seniors, Maya scored 4 points including a nice post-move finish and two free throws. Despite a high-scoring quarter, the Huskies stayed consistent and the Rangers were down 39-30.

In the fourth, the Rangers started to bring pressure on the Huskies and it worked. Slowly, FHC cut the gap to three points thanks to widespread scoring from all of the Lady Rangers. Theryn fouled out about halfway through the quarter, scoring four points in the fourth and finishing with 26 on the night. With Theryn out, the Rangers had to rely on its tandem in the paint and lethal freshman shooter Jordan Koning on the outside.

The ladies got some very good looks at the hoop but were not able to capitalize on them. On a lot of their shots, they were getting fouled and sent to the line for free throws. Combined, the team went 9 for 14 on free throws in the fourth quarter, missing out on some crucial points that would have tied up the game. In the end, the Huskies stayed solid and the Lady Rangers fell 57-52.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us before our Tuesday matchup against Northview,” coach Prins said. “But, we have the girls who want to win and put in the work.”

The Lady Rangers are now 5-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Next up, the team will look towards the Wildcats of Northview on Tuesday, January 18, at 7:00 PM at Northview. After that game, the ladies will be tested yet again against Grand Rapids Christian on Friday at FHC.