By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA – With area play just a few weeks away, the Helena Huskies girls basketball team is looking to improve each time they step on the floor and on Monday, Dec. 10 the Huskies took on the McAdory Yellow Jackets for the second time this season.

Although Helena didn’t come away with the victory, the Huskies kept the game close into the third quarter before the Yellow Jackets pulled away for a 46-27 win.

This was something Helena head coach Alan Skinner thought his team did well as far as staying in the game and getting off to a better start compared to the last time the two teams met.

“The first time we played them it looked like we were sleep walking through it and we weren’t really physical and didn’t want to fight and that’s kind of the mantra when playing them the second time,” Skinner said. “The first half we went into halftime down 21-15 and I felt like we had the pace of the game how we wanted it but the third quarter told the difference. They came out in their man pressure and they’re athletic and fast and they got us sped up having to play at a pace we didn’t want to play. The third quarter we just dug ourselves a little too much of a hole.”

Helena held McAdory to just 21 first half points but the quicker pace of play the Yellow Jackets implemented in the third quarter led to 18 points in the period. McAdory outscored Helena 18-4 in the third quarter and 25-12 in the second half in the win.

Chloe Van Kovering and Brianna Wilson each had six points for Helena.

After traveling to Chilton County on Dec. 13, Helena will compete in the Gardendale Christmas Tournament and the BallN Prep Invitational at Thompson High School to close out 2018.