Photos by Doug McFarland, stories by Chris Brooks and Chris Metcalf
Trailing 7-0 and 14-5 in the first period, visiting Hornell went on a 21-5 run to take control during their 60-45 victory in LCAA D-I action Tuesday night.
“Our girls kept their composure and played them even for the rest of the first quarter after a quick timeout,” HHS coach Jim Dagon said. “I’m very proud of them for that. They didn’t get frustrated or lose confidence, they just locked in defensively and trusted each other on the offensive end. We have been in plenty of tough environments and close games to know that even when we are down we can still have confidence in ourselves and I think that the experience in all of the girls really showed tonight.”
Hornell dominated the final 10 minutes of the first half.
“We came out in the second quarter and things started clicking for us on both ends,” coach Dagon said. “The girls didn’t decide to stop working on defense once their shots started falling either, they stayed locked in and defended as a unit which allowed us to build a lead. “
Reagan Evingham led Hornell with a career-high 20 points including one three-pointer while Jordyn Dyring had a big second half and finished with 18 points, including hitting three, 3-pointers.
Payton Bentley added 11 points on two, 3-pointers, while Lillian Hoyt and Selena Maldonado added six and five points respectively.
“All in all, Dansville played us very tough as we expected- they’re a very good team,” coach Dagon said. “Our effort as a group was great and our mental toughness was also pretty impressive in my opinion. I think our composure, confidence, and experience (along with fantastic team-oriented defense) was what got us the win tonight.”
Dansville was led by Chelsie Tyler who scored 12 points while Aynsley Belcher added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Kali Meyer scored 11 points with two rebounds while Megan Tyler added five points and three boards.
Emma Allen added four points and six caroms while Taylor Hamsher added six rebounds with two steals and two points for the Lady Mustangs.
The victory sealed the LCAA D-I title for the Lady Raiders.
Hornell improved to 13-1 while Dansville fell to 15-3.
Hornell hosts Way-Co Friday while Dansville plays at Livonia Feb. 7.
Livonia 49, Canisteo-Greenwood 30
LIVONIA — After a brilliant start through the first eight minutes, there was no other direction for the Livonia Lady Bulldogs to go than up on Tuesday.
Under control of a seven-point lead, the Class B powerhouses took it to another level to close out the half, keeping visiting Canisteo-Greenwood off the board completely while branching their advantage to remain out front and towards eventual victory by a 49-30 count.
After a 13-6 lead for the Lady Bulldogs developed in the first quarter behind the guidance of Mary and Libby Kwak, the momentum shifted gears into the next frame of play where they held the Lady Chargers (9-7) off the board completely while capitalizing on a run that allowed them to remain in the driver’s seat.
When the half closed its book, the hosts in white and blue formulated a gigantic 15-0 run, aided by a 9-of-12 outing at the charity stripe between four different scorers.
The Lady Chargers were able to chip away at their deficit at the beginning of the second half with their strongest outing of offense, propelled by all seven of Kora Button’s points within the frame. But in the end, the first half lead constructed by Livonia would be too much to overcome.
Leading the scoring for the visitors in red was Bailey Mullen and her team-high 10 points, chipping in eight rebounds along the way. Following Button’s seven-point effort was Kadyn Piliero and Harlie McCaffery, each adding four points.
On special teams, McCaffery led the rebounding department with nine, while Lila Greenfield grabbed seven of her own.
Canisteo-Greenwood will look to take aim at their 10th win of the season back home Thursday night, as they welcome in the Avoca-Prattsburgh Lady Titans for a 7:15 p.m. visit.
Canisteo-Greenwood 6 0 14 10 – 30
Livonia 13 15 12 9 – 49
CANISTEO-GREENWOOD: Kora Button 3 0-0 7, Bailey Mullen 4 1-4 10, Kadyn Piliero 2 0-0 4, McKenna Ferris 1 0-0 2, Lila Greenfield 1 0-0 2, Harlie McCaffery 1 2-4 4, Paris May 0 1-2 1. Totals: 12 4-10 30.
LIVONIA: Mary Kwak 3 2-2 9, KJ Einhiple 2 2-2 6, Libby Kwak 6 4-4 19, Genny Strom 1 0-0 2, Molly Hitchcock 3 5-10 11, Morgan Meys 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 13-18 49.
3-point goals: C-G 2 (Button, Mullen), Livonia 4 (L. Kwak 3, M. Kwak).
Total Fouls: C-G 18, Livonia 12. Fouled out: None.
