MERTZON— The Irion County Lady Hornets dominated the Garden City Lady Bearkats, 51-34 tonight in Irion County while the Irion County Hornets fought out of a halftime deficit to narrowly beat the Bearcats, 50-47.
The Lady Hornets remain undefeated in district play after taking it to the Garden City Lady Bearkats tonight in Irion County. The Lady Hornets started things off by tripling the Lady Bearkat’s point total for the first quarter, then put-up double digit points each quarter for the rest of the game.
In the first, Baylee and Melanie Rainey combined for four points with Baylee sinking a three-point shot and Melanie knocking down a free throw. Acelyn Fowler and Presli Cormier each hit a two-pointer with Fowler registering a free throw as well. Garden City’s Karly Baker had the Lady Bearkat’s lone points by hitting a three. After one, the Lady Hornets were up 9-3 and that continued throughout the game.
Into the second, the lids came off of the baskets with both the Lady Hornets and Lady Bearkats achieving double digit points. The Rainey Sisters continued to cash in with six points combined and Berkley Callaway got in on the action by hitting a three. Kassandra Martinez made two free throws while Cormier hit one. Fowler went off and had a two-pointer and made five of six free throws to move the Lady Hornet’s point total to 28 going in at the half.
The Lady Bearkats really started hitting shots and had 13 total points in the second alone, with 10 points coming from Baker and three from Aurora Alvarado. At the halfway point, the Lady Hornets led 28-16.
Garden City’s Baker and Keegan Batla combined for six points in the third quarter while the Rainey Sisters had five, Martinez and Cormier had two each, and Callaway had a three. Now the Lady Hornet’s lead going into the final quarter is 18 points, 40-22.
The Lady Bearkats continued the fight and had 12 points in the fourth which included three three-point shots, one each from Kelsey Gully, Brylon Frerich, and Baker. Amber Schwartz made a free throw and Kaylee Garcia sank a two-point shot. For the Lady Hornets, Melanie Rainey went four-for-four from the free throw line and Baylee chipped in a three-point shot Fowler and Zoe Baumann each had two points and Cormier made a free throw totaling 11 points in the fourth for Irion County.
When it was said and done, the Irion County Lady Hornets won, 51-34 and will remain undefeated in district play. There is no drop off when head coach Derek Schoen subs in players as this Lady Hornet team is stacked with talent.
SCORING (IC- GC)
- 1st— 9-3
- 2nd—19-13 (28-16)
- 3rd—12-6 (40-22)
- 4th— 11-12 (51-34)
IC: Fowler- 14, M. Rainey- 11, B. Rainey- 10, Cormier- 6, Callaway- 6, Martinez- 4, Baumann- 2
3-Point Shots: B. Rainey- 2, Callaway- 2
GC: Baker- 19, Frerich- 3, Alvarado- 3, Batla- 3, Gully- 3, Garcia- 2, Schwartz- 1
3-Point Shots: Baker- 4, Gully- 1, Batla- 1, Frerich- 1, Alvarado- 1
After the girl’s game, the Hornets and Bearkats took to the court. Irion County would be down 10 points at halftime only to fight back out of the hole and secure the district victory. Garden City had a big first half and the Hornets had a big second half, edging out the Bearkats by three points.
In the opening quarter, the score was tied up at 8-8. Bernard Xhemshiti, another exchange student from Kosovo (who needs a nickname), sank two three-point shots and Tyler “Top Shelf” Henderson made a two-pointer. Garden City’s Presley Jost and Levi Easterling each hit a three while Julio Talamantes had two points.
Into the second quarter, the Bearkats flexed with 21 points, and Talamantes went off, making four three-point shots and a two-pointer. Jarett Fryar had five points and Easterling added two. The Hornets had double digit points in the second quarter as well but fell way behind. Wyatt Morris was near perfect on free throws in the second, making four of five then adding four points to the scoreboard. Crutchfield made a free throw and Major Conner had two points. This put the Hornets in a 10-point hole, 29-19.
Irion County knew they had a lot of ground to make up and went to work. Top Shelf and Xhemshiti combined for 10 points then Grady Jackson and Crutchfield had three three-pointers together for a 19-point third quarter.
One thing the Hornets could not allow is Talamantes to keep sinking threes and they did just that. For the rest of the game, not just the third quarter, Irion County held him to only two points. Garden City had other players though who could shoot, and Fryer and Easterling added eight points for the Bearkat’s 10 total in the third.
The Hornets closed the gap and were down only one point going into the fourth quarter, 39-38.
The Bearkat’s Fryer continued to throw up points, adding four in the fourth while Skyler Garcia did the exact same. Eight points would not be enough as the Hornet’s Crutchfield, Morris, and Henderson each hit a three and Morris added three free throws for 12 total fourth quarter points.
It came down to the last second but the Irion County Hornets emerged victorious, 50-47, over the Garden City Bearkats, to win their first district game.
SCORING (IC-GC)
- 1st— 8-8
- 2nd— 11-21 (19-29)
- 3rd— 19-10 (38-39)
- 4th— 12-8 (50-47)
IC: Morris- 14, Xhemshiti- 11, Henderson- 10, Crutchfield- 7, Jackson- 6, Conner-2
3-Point Shots: Xhemshiti- 3, Crutchfield- 2, Jackson- 2, Henderson- 1, Morris- 1
GC: Talamantes-18, Fryer- 14, Easterling- 8, Garcia- 4, Jost- 3
3-Point Shots: Talamantes- 4, Fryer- 2, Easterling -2, Jost- 1
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