The Hornell girls’ basketball team took care of business in the Barkley Showcase against Wellsville and have kept the foot on the gas, beating Geneseo, Tork and Waverly of Section IV. Jordyn Drying scored 62 points in the three wins.
Here is the full report on the week from coach Jim Dagon:
Hornell 60, Waverly 43
The Waverly girls came out on fire in the first quarter, backed by their student section which was loud and enthusiastic, and it took us a while to adjust to the pace of the game and the environment in their gym. It’s really awesome to continually see the support from fans and students for girls basketball at these games. I feel like the girls game is really on the rise when it comes to the talent teams are putting on the floor, and it’s been this way for a while now. But to finally see that people are recognizing it and coming out to the games to cheer on their teams is really validating for the girls that put the work in to be at the level that they’re at.
Early foul trouble for two of our starters, Jordyn Dyring and Raegan Evingham, caused us to go off script when it came to the substitutions and lineups that we put on the floor. As a result, Mia Nasca and Kadience Gollnitz played extended minutes and provided us with a spark off the bench, especially when it came to their composure, defensive effort, and their toughness. When those two came in we were losing, and once they got into the groove of the game, they were a part of the group that began a 16-0 run for us. The scoring during that run was led by Lillian Hoyt, who finished the game tied for the team-high with 15 points. Lilly was lights out from beyond the arc, knocking down 30-footers like they were freethrows. The coaches and Lilly’s teammates have the trust in her to knock it down from anywhere across half court. We see it every day in practice so it’s become normal to us. But when we go to away games and the shots she makes just puts the opposing crowd in total disbelief, it’s a reminder that you’re seeing a kid that’s truly special.
Lillian, Selena Maldonado, and Payton Bentley played nearly the entire game out of necessity, and they didn’t leave anything in the tank, I was very proud of their collective effort.
Jordyn Dyring (also tied for team high with 15 points) came back in the game and went on a quick scoring spree that helped us through a stretch where we started to get fatigued and needed some scoring to keep our lead where it was. Jordyn doesn’t normally get into foul trouble like she did tonight, so it was good to see her respond with the performance she put together on both ends of the floor in limited minutes.
After the first quarter we locked in defensively and held them to just 21 points through the final three quarters of play. The collective defensive effort, along with the rebounding of Raegan Evingham was what allowed us to maintain the lead following the scoring display of Hoyt and Dyring.
Scoring
Lillian Hoyt 15 (5 threes)
Jordyn Dyring 15 (3 threes)
Raegan Evingham 11 (2 threes)
Selena Maldonado 8
Payton Bentley 8 (2 threes)
Kadience Gollnitz 4
Hornell 75, York 52
The atmosphere in the gym in York was fantastic tonight. The student section was loud, both teams were locked in and working hard- it was awesome to be a part of. The York girls are very tough, they play physical, they’re well coached, and they have a great rhythm with one another- they are definitely one of the best opponents we have had so far this year. Knowing that they have a young core makes me very excited to keep seeing them in the future.
Tonight the first half was a battle. We took an early lead and they fought their way back, getting us into halftime with a 7 point lead. We knew that they were going to come out swinging for the fences in the 3rd quarter and I thought we did a great job of keeping pace with them and sustaining the lead we had built prior with our defense leading the way. In the fourth quarter we went on a run early and sealed the game for ourselves. Tonight was absolutely a closer game than the final score shows. York really made it tough for all 32 minutes, so you’ve got to give them a ton of credit.
Lillian Hoyt got into foul trouble early for us which forced her onto the bench for most of the first half, but in her limited minutes she had a great impact on the game. She hit two very timely three’s that sparked runs for us, and she got an and-one that got all of her teammates fired up. In her absence, Raegan Evingham and Jordyn Dyring shouldered the scoring burden making 5 three pointers apiece. Dyring scored a game high 26 points, and Evingham scored 21 points to go along with 5 steals and a ton of rebounds. Jordyn also guarded York’s top guard and held her to just 7 points (zero in the second half). It was an all around great performance for Jo. Selena Maldonado also filled the stat sheet as she always does accumulating tons of assists, 6 points, 4 blocks and 5 steals. Selena’s defense and creation of shots for her teammates was a big difference maker in the game tonight.
Scorers:
Jordyn Dyring 26 points (5 threes)
Raegan Evingham 21 points (5 threes)
Lillian Hoyt 8 points (2 threes)
Payton Bentley 8 points
Selena Maldonado 6 points
Mia nasca 5 points (1 three)
Kadience Gollnitz 1 point
*13 made threes as a team
Hornell 99, Geneseo 43
Offensively shots were falling for everyone all night. We really worked to get great looks instead of settling for jumpers. Scoring 99 points in 32 minutes is pretty impressive, but all in all I was happier about our defensive effort than anything else.
We held them to 10 in the first half which was fantastic. We know that we will have games where shots are falling like they were on Monday, but the reality is, we will also have nights where we don’t shoot it well, and our defense needs to be our anchor in those situations.
The intense on-ball defense from our guards to go along with Bentley’s 8 blocks and Evingham’s 7 steals really set the tone for us. I think for the past few games the girls have really bought in to setting the tone on defense early which has allowed us to get out to early leads.
Stats:
Mia Nasca 23 points (game high, 6 threes)
Jordyn Dyring 21 points (3 threes), 7reb, 2 steals
Payton Bentley 16 points (2threes), 9reb, 8blocks
Raegan Evingham 16 points, 8reb, 7steals
Lillian Hoyt 15 points (2 threes), 7reb, 1 steal
Selena Maldonado 8 assists, 6 points, 4 steals
