Her club not only defeated Northern of Enid 75-65. They did it in a tight game down the stretch.
The Lady Pioneers outscored the Lady Jets 12-2 during the final 2:20 of the game to snap the visitors' five-game winning streak.
"This was a big win," said Hardwick. "We've been playing people tough, but we're not very deep and we've been getting tired toward the end. It's good to beat somebody down the stretch."
Western struggled much of the second half with turnovers and were getting soundly whipped on the boards.
But that changed during the final minutes of the game. The Lady Pioneers routinely limited Northern to one shot and they handled the Lady Jets press well during that time frame.
With 2:20 left in the game, Shelby Vaughan shook free for an easy layup and Western gained the lead for good at 65-63. A basket by Jena Morrison with 1:37 remaining put the Lady Pioneers up 67-63. Western then hit eight of nine free throws to put the game away.
"We hit our free throws," said Hardwick. "Maybe this will give us some more confidence.
For the second consecutive game, Jena Morrison and Kantrona Scott keyed a Western victory.
On Saturday they combined for 49 points in a victory over Rose State. Monday night Morrison scored 23 points and Scott 15 to lead the Pioneers. Jessica Cates was also instrumental in the outcome. The 5-9 sophomore from Follett, Texas, scored all 10 of her points in the second half.
The Lady Pioneers will return to action on Thursday when they will host Northern of Tonkawa. Tip off will be at 6 p.m.
Western 75, Northern (Enid) 65
Northern - Williamson 3-2-9, Kee 1-1-3, Morrow 4-4-12, Walker 4-2-11, Belzer 3-2-8, Whitney 3-2-8, Gould 1-0-2, Ledford 4-0-9. Totals 25-10-65. 3 point field goals - Williams, Walker, Ledford.
Western - Burrows 3-1-9, Morrison 9-4-23, Boone 2-0-4, Cates 4-1-10, Hines 1-0-2, Scott 3-9-15, Vaughan 4-4-12. Totals 26-19-75. 3 point field goals - Burrows 2, Morrison, Cates 2.
Halftime" Western 28, Northern 27
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