By BILL COLLMER, Hornell Sun Senior Sports Writer
While we’re just past the halfway point of the 2025-2026 season, it’s safe to say that the “Big Three” on the Hornell Girls Basketball team have left their mark for years to come.
Hornell is 10-2 on the season but haven’t lost to a Class B school since losing to Cold Spring Harbor 54-50 in last season’s Class B state Championship game. Their losses this season are 65-64 in overtime to Pittsfield, Massachusetts a Class A school and Class AA North Tonawanda 69-66.
Senior Jordyn Dyring recently became the School’s All-Time leading scorer passing Hornell legend Megan Buchanan with 1,527 points. Buchanan was inducted into The Hornell High School Athletics Hall of Fame and the University of Albany Athletics Hall of Fame both in 2011. In 1999-2000 she was the University of Albany’s Female Athlete of the year. She finished her College Career third all-time on the School Scoring list with 1,093 career points. She was only the fifth player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau.
The same night as Dyring became the school’s all-time leading scorer Senior Selena Maldonado surpassed 1,000 career points.
The third member of the Big Three, junior Raegan Evingham will surpass 1,000 career points later this season during the regular season or early during sectional play.
So far this season Dyring is averaging 21.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.5 APG & 2.2 SPG, Evingham is averaging 14.3 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.4 APG 3.3 SPG & 1.3 BPG, Maldonado is averaging 11.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 5.6 APG & 3.9 SPG.
As a group they’ve helped lead Hornell to three Straight Sectional Championships, back-to-back appearances in the Far Western Regional and a spot in last season’s State Championship game.
Her junior year, Dyring was named First Team All-State in Class B after being named to the second team her sophomore year. Dyring led Hornell in scoring averaging 18.8 points per game, she also averaged 4.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, & 2.3 SPG she surpassed 1,000 career points and shot 39.4 % from 3-point land. She was named the LCAA Player of the Year, Section V Class B1 Tournament MVP, and to the NYS Class B All-Tournament Team.
Last season Maldonado was named fifth team All-State after averaging 11.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.5 APG, & 4.0 SPG. While Evingham was named sixth-team All-State last season after averaging 10.3 PPG 8.3 RPG 4.1 SPG. & 3.2 APG.
“Those three are absolute dogs. They each bring something different, but they have this shared mindset — tough, unselfish, and willing to allow their strengths to mesh with one another for the success of the team,” Hornell coach Jim Dagon said. “Selena controls the tempo and makes everything easier for everyone else. She sets the tone for us on both ends of the floor, and her athleticism is very hard for teams to match up with. Raegan plays with so much heart, she’s incredibly versatile, and she’s one of the most tenacious players I’ve coached in any sport.“
As for Dyring, Dagon said she makes her teammates better.
“Jordyn is dominant on both ends of the floor and just has calm control over every game,” Dagon said. “What separates her is how much she cares about getting better, about her teammates, none of them care about attention or stats; nobody on this team does, they just do what they need to do, night in and night out, to make us successful. That’s why we’ve had the success we’ve had – it’s the group’s willingness to put ‘we over me.”
Hornell has been ranked No.1 in the State in Class B by the New York State Sportswriters Association all season. They’re currently the No.1 Seed in Section Five Class B1.
Hornell has eight games remaining in the regular season and it’s not an easy one. Rematches with Class AAA Aquinas and AA North Tonawanda (9-2) from Section VI (see North Tonawanda results below). As well as other non-League games with Class A East-High (7-3) out of Rochester, a LCAA Crossover game with Class C Powerhouse Keshequa (10-0). They’ll also play Section IV powerhouse Susquehanna Valley who is 9-1 and the No.4 ranked team in the State in Class B, and they still have three LCAA League games remaining with Bath, Livonia and Dansville.
Here is a report from Coach Dagon on the last two games:
Friday, January 16 — Hornell 61, Haverling 24
Friday night was a really special night for our program. It was Senior Night, and our focus was on celebrating everyone who has helped build what this group has become. I was really pleased with our effort and enthusiasm from the opening tip. We started the game strong, which allowed us to get players who don’t always see extended minutes into the game early, including our senior managers Ava Combs and Claire Rose. The girls had a great time with it, and the joy on the bench and on the floor made the night even more meaningful.
It was also an unforgettable night individually for a couple of our seniors. Jordyn Dyring became the all-time leading scorer in Hornell girls basketball history, surpassing Megan Buchanan’s previous record of 1,531 career points. Jordyn has earned this through years of relentless work, consistency, and total commitment to her game and her team.
In the same game, Selena Maldonado scored the 1,000th point of her career. Selena is the consummate point guard and the epitome of selflessness. She puts her teammates first every night, and seeing her reach this milestone was truly special.
Between celebrating our seniors, Jordyn breaking the scoring record, and Selena reaching 1,000 career points, the night was filled with our players celebrating one another. It was a special night for our program.
Hornell Scoring vs. Haverling (1/16):
- Selena Maldonado: 16 points
- Jordyn Dyring: 16 points
- Raegan Evingham: 7 points
- Teegan Eveland: 7 points
- Mayleigh Martin: 7 points
- Mia Nasca: 3 points
- Paula Ranin: 3 points
- A’Jonay Hawkins: 2 points
Saturday, January 17 — North Tonawanda 69, Hornell 66
Saturday was a tough but valuable game against a very high-quality North Tonawanda team. We came out flat and got down early, but we never lost our confidence or our fight. We clawed our way back into the game numerous times and were able to tie it up in the second half.
Down the stretch, North Tonawanda made some big plays, and we ended up coming up just short. Even so, I was proud of how our girls competed until the final whistle. North Tonawanda is an excellent program, and to compete with them at that level is something we should be proud of.
It’s never fun to lose, but losses can be valuable if you really learn from them. The film from this game will give us a lot to focus on as we continue to improve over the next couple of weeks.
Hornell Scoring vs. North Tonawanda (1/17):
- Jordyn Dyring: 26 points
- Selena Maldonado: 21 points
- Raegan Evingham: 9 points
- Mia Nasca: 8 points
- A’Jonay Hawkins: 2 points
