Back in action after a long layoff, the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn girls' basketball team suffered a pair of home losses to War Eagle Conference opponents last week.

A big fourth quarter allowed Harris-Lake Park to slip past H-M-S, 48-45, on Jan. 6.

The Hawks trailed by as many as six points early in the game but managed to pull even with H-LP three times, including in the final seconds of the first half which ended in a 23-23 tie. H-M-S then led throughout the third quarter, extending the advantage to 35-27.

The Hawks still led by seven in the fourth quarter, but the Wolves went on a 15-0 run to take a 47-43 lead. A basket by Abby Douma cut the deficit to two, but H-M-S would not score again and H-LP added a free throw to seal the three-point win.

Douma led H-M-S with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Kylee Schiphoff scored 14 points and had five rebounds; Emily Mutombo contributed eight points, eight rebounds and five steals; Elise Haack had five points, seven rebounds and five steals; Gracie Knobloch scored six points and grabbed five rebounds; Moriah Otto scored four points and had five rebounds; and Frankie Mohni scored three points.

The Hawks had a better shooting percentage from the floor than H-LP, but struggled at the free throw line (2-of-9) and committed 28 turnovers. The Wolves were 7-of-17 at the line and finished with 15 turnovers.

• vs. Akron-Westfield

Strong finishes in both halves helped Akron-Westfield hold off H-M-S, 51-41, in a makeup game on Jan. 7.

H-M-S finished the first quarter with a narrow 9-7 lead, but then went scoreless for nearly seven minutes. The Westerners took advantage with 12 straight points to build a nine-point lead. Two free throws by Douma and a basket by Schiphoff ended the half, but H-M-S still trailed 21-13.

Akron-Westfield had an answer for every Hawk comeback in the second half. H-M-S narrowed the gap to three points in the third quarter before the Westerners rebuilt the lead to 25-18. Trailing by eight early in the final period, H-M-S again cut the deficit to three points, but soon fell behind by 10. Free throws down the stretch helped Akron-Westfield maintain its lead.

Douma and Schiphoff again led H-M-S in scoring with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Otto scored eight points, Knobloch scored four and Lindsey Van Es added two.

MIKE PETERSEN/SENTINEL-NEWS

Abby Douma is about to block a shot attempt by a Harris-Lake Park player during H-M-S's 48-45 loss on Jan. 6.

Field goal shooting percentages for both teams were fairly even. The Westerners attempted nine more free throws than H-M-S, but only made four more. The Hawks committed 10 more turnovers (30-20).

Douma added 10 rebounds and two blocks; Mutombo had six rebounds and six steals; Haack and Schiphoff each had six rebounds; Mohni had four rebounds and three steals; Otto finished with four rebounds; and Van Es had three rebounds.

The Hawks' game with GT/RA on Jan. 3 was cancelled. H-M-S (0-7, 0-4) plays at West Bend-Mallard on Jan. 12 and MMCRU on Jan. 13, and hosts South O'Brien on Jan. 17.