DES MOINES, Iowa – Given a chance to avenge its only loss, Hinton did so in the best setting possible.
Addison Glass sank two pressure-packed free throws with 34.5 seconds left and teammate Keely Derochie followed with a key block to lift Hinton pass West Lyon 46-45 to begin Class 2A play in the 2026 state tournament.
The victory keeps top-seeded Hinton (21-1) on track in its bid to win a second consecutive state championship, an effort that will continue in a semifinal game at 10 o’clock Friday morning.
Eighth-seeded West Lyon (17-8) handed Hinton its only loss, 45-44 back on Dec. 4, and the Lions almost did it again. They stormed back from a 12-point deficit with an 18-4 run to take a 34-32 lead on Ava Carolan’s 3-pointer with 1:02 left in the third quarter but couldn’t hold on.
Four straight free throws returned the lead to Hinton heading into the fourth quarter, but the Lions came back again, edging ahead 39-36 on Carolan’s lay-in after teammate Katelyn Berentschot banked in a 3-ball from the right wing.
Derochie splashed two straight jump shots from the left side to put Hinton back on top, 42-41 with 2:33 to play. The game then was tied twice, at 42 and 44, before the decisive plays unfolded.
West Lyon’s Kaitlyn Ter Wee gave her team a 45-44 lead when she made the second of two free throws with 56.8 seconds to play. Glass then drew a foul driving to the basket and calmly dropped in both free throws for a 46-45 Hinton lead with 32.5 seconds remaining.
Hinton worked for a final shot and Berentschot took the ball to the basket with the clock running down. Derochie slid over to block the shot, grabbed the ball and was fouled with 3.1 seconds left. It was a non-shooting foul so the Blackhawks threw a long inbounds pass into their forecourt and another foul was called with just half a second left. A final inbounds pass ended it and the defending champs survived to play another day.
Sydney Doeschot, the all-tournament captain last year, led Hinton with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Derochie also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards, plus an assist and two blocks.
Carolan and Taya Christie led West Lyon with 11 points and Belah Kramer added 10 for the Lions, who returned to state after a four-year absence.
Hinton has been navigating through postseason play without 6-foot-1 Bailey Boeve, who was sidelined just before regionals with a second ACL tear. She was averaging 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds and shooting 60 percent from the field. The first ACL injury kept her out all last season.
