The trip to Benton on Monday night January 5 was a successful one for the Copper Basin High School girls basketball team as they routed cross-county rival Polk County High School 66-47.
“Having not played in a couple of weeks, I was very happy with our intensity on both ends of the floor,” Head Coach Jeff Grimes said. “Being county rivals, we knew they’d be up for us, so matching their energy was key. Another great effort and a great way to start 2026.”
Basin got back to their pre-holiday rhythm quickly. Alexis Hyatt hit two free throws to get the scoring off on a positive note. Basin was solid all game from the free throw line, hitting 22 of 29 for 75.8 percent.
Polk took the lead with a three-pointer moments after Hyatt’s free throws to get their only lead of the game. Hyatt hit two more baskets, then Ballew and Kimsey followed with one each to give Basin the lead 10-3. A three pointer by Polk was followed by a seven-point Basin run with baskets from Hyatt and Kimsey to give Basin the lead 17-12 at the first quarter buzzer. Hyatt had nine points in the quarter. Kimsey had eight and Ballew had two.
The second quarter featured the same performance by Basin. The quarter was an uneven affair. Basin outscored Polk 20-13. It was a seven-point quarter for Kendra Deal. Ballew had six points while Hyatt had three and Riley Akens and Kimsey each had two points. Six of Basin’s points were from the free throw line.
The second half was the same Basin consistency. Basin outscored Polk 15-10 in the third and 14-12 in the fourth quarter.
In the third quarter, Ballew had five points including three from the free throw line. Hyatt had four points including two successful free throws.
In the fourth quarter, Deal hit seven of the eight free throws she attempted. Kimsey scored six points including two free throws. Hyatt added two more points to her total.
At the free throw line individually, Hyatt was 6-for-7 on the night total. Deal with 9-for-10 while Ballew was 5-for-6 and Kimsey was 2-for-4.
Hyatt and Kimsey each had a total of 18 points. Deal had 15 points while Ballew had 13. Riley Akens finished the game with two points.