Harrison's Hegstetter making her mark in rugged region

“It’s more of a challenge,” Hegstetter said. “I actually like it because I like playing against better people just to see how you match up. It also makes you that much better, because when you play against the best you kinda go into the games against the other teams thinking, ‘Well, we’ve got this’ because we’ve already played against the hardest that there is.”

Hegstetter, a 6-foot-2 forward, finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Campbell. For the season, she averages 15 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, three assists and one blocked shot, leading the team in all five categories. And she is one of the main ballhandlers against the press.

“She’s not satisfied just sitting back and watching everybody turn the ball over,” Harrison coach Steve Lenahan said. “She can see over most guards that are guarding her, whereas our smaller girls might get trapped and turn the ball over. She’s developed a lot of skills that most post players haven’t developed just because of the nature of our team. It will serve her well in college.”

And colleges are noticing. Hegstetter said she has talked to more than 60, and Lenahan said those schools have included Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida.

“I have to decide if I want to go in and play as a freshman and start and be a contributing factor, or do I want to go into a bigger program and maybe not play as much but earn my way,” Hegstetter said. “Right now we’re just touring campuses and trying to decide the best fit, whether big or small.”

Said Lenahan, “Nikki’s a pretty wise kid. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. She’s very competitive, and she loves challenges. You present her with an easy way and a hard way, and she’ll probably take the hard way every time, just because she likes pushing herself.”

Harrison is 10-13 overall, 4-8 in Region 4-AAAAA. Campbell, tied for first place with No. 9 North Cobb, is 17-5 and 10-2. No. 8 McEachern and No. 10 Hillgrove are right behind with three losses each.

Combined, the four ranked teams entered Friday’s games 22-0 against the other four teams in the region, with the average score of those games being 68-32. Harrison lost Tuesday 48-42 against Hillgrove, the closest game any of the ranked teams has had against the Hoyas, Kennesaw Mountain, South Cobb or Pebblebrook.

Campbell’s lineup features future college players as well, particularly in a backcourt that includes Chakecia Miller (signed with George Washington) and Erica Norwood (Air Force). Miller led the Spartans with 17 points against Harrison and Norwood had 11 despite foul trouble. Baylee Hawkins finished with 12 for Campbell, which made 17 free throws in the fourth quarter, including 12 of 16 in the final three minutes.