Hornbeck wins battle of Lady Hornets, reaches Class C semifinals
Published 11:14 pm Thursday, February 24, 2022
BWS Sports
GLENMORA – Going into their matchup against fourth-ranked Plainview, Hornbeck head coach Matthew Killian knew his Lady Hornets would have to bring their best game.
And they did just that.
Fifth-ranked Hornbeck held off a late surge from Plainview, coming away with a 60-49 win, punching its ticket to the Class C semifinals and a date with the top-ranked Hicks Lady Pirates sometime early next week in Hammond at the Ladies Top 28.
“Plainview plays so hard. They are relentless and so well-coached,” Hornbeck head coach Matthew Killian said. “But we matched their energy and their effort and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Hornbeck took a 13-7 lead at the end of the first period and parlayed a 14-12 advantage in the second quarter into a 27-19 cushion going into the halftime break.
The Vernon Parish version of the Lady Hornets managed to outscore Plainview, 17-12, in the third period, moving out to a 44-32 lead going into the final frame of regulation.
But Plainview was far from done.
Behind Zoey Fee, Marlee Monk and Caitlyn Johnson, the Rapides Parish version of the Lady Hornets put together a 17-7 run to close the gap to 51-49 late in the game.
But Hornbeck settled down and scored the final nine points of the contest to solidify its place in Marsh Madness next week.
“To go into a place like Plainview and come out with a win says an awful lot about our girls,” Killian said. “It’s great to see this group of girls work so hard for something and for all that hard work and effort to pay off means the world to me. Our girls deserve all the credit in the world.”
Hannah Dahlhoff led three Hornbeck players in double figures with 16 points, while Jayda James and Hannah Mitchell added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Johnson had 17 points to pace Plainview, while Monk and Fee finished with 11 and 10 points.