The Hackett Jr Lady Hornets stepped onto The Hives court on Thursday, January 14th with stingers ready and ill intentions. Across from them was an intimidating Waldron Lady Bulldogs team that was in Hackett to dig up a solid victory. Two programs aiming for an upper hand on their road to greatness. Who could ask for more? But when the dust settled, it was the Lady Hornets who came out on top with a 42-27 win at home.
Both teams took turns playing aggressive basketball against each other, but Hackett had the nets on their side. The Lady Hornets were able to fly past Waldron’s defensive wall to light up the scoreboard on nearly every possession. Hackett had players who could score a bunch of points in a short period of time. Alex Bunch was one of those players as she led the team with 21 points. Aaliyah Escoffier made a statement of her own rolling out 7 points while Brooklynn Decker and Mackenzie Freeman jumped in the mix with 4 points apiece. Alona Rothwell and Jessie Mendenhall combined for 6 points at 3 points apiece. The victory set Hackett up at 6-9 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
“I thought it was the most complete game we have played all year,” exclaimed Lady Hornets Coach, Broc Adams. “We took care of the ball, moved it well, and got great looks. We forced a lot of turnovers and got layups that helped up push the lead into the second half.”
For the Lady Bulldogs, it was a hard-fought battle, but not the end result they wanted. With a total of 6 players out for the game, Waldron leaned hard on their young bench players to step up. As the game went on, so did the Lady Bulldogs as they didn’t back down from the fight. Katie Stringer and Emily Powell stepped up big as the pair teamed up for a combined 15 points against the Lady Hornets. The tough loss put Waldron at a 3-6 overall record and 0-2 in conference play.
Photos courtesy of Bridget Freeman
