Henning’s offensive outburst ends Maine South’s season

Through the first 12 minutes of the sectional title game between Maine South and Evanston, there looked to be an upset brewing.

But that notion was promptly put to bed midway through the second quarter with a 16-0 Evanston run sparked by Kayla Henning (18 points, five assists) propelling the Wildkits to a comfortable 65-51 victory.

Despite the lopsided scoring, it was Maine South who took control early as the Wildkits struggled from the field and the free throw line, going 1 for 5 in the opening quarter.

Maine South got a boost from sophomore guard Emily Pape who came off the bench to score nine points in the quarter to help the Hawks to a 13-5 lead after eight minutes.

The Hawks maintained their lead early in the second quarter, but with Ambrea Gentle and Jayla Turchin on the bench, Evanston took off.

The remainder of the quarter turned into the Kayla Henning show as the senior point guard Henning scored six quick points, blowing past the Hawks defense for easy layups. 

Henning would go on to score 10 points in the second quarter alone, and the 28-19 halftime lead was all the cushion Evanston needed for the remainder of the game.

Evanston continued their offensive explosion in the third quarter, scoring 24 points in the frame with all five starters getting in on the action. Maine South would never get closer than 14 points the rest of the way as the Wildkits cruised to the double digit win.

With the win, Evanston will look to avenge a 50-45 loss to Maine West just two weeks ago which also happens to be a rematch of last year’s sectional title game.

The Wildkits have struggled against Maine West in recent years losing their last six meetings against the Warriors. The battle for the Sectional title will take place on Thursday night at 7:00 at Maine West.