The Hornell Red Raiders picked up a road win over the Dansville Mustangs Thursday night improving to 11-7 on the season
From Hornell High School Athletics, photo by JC’s Photography
A low-scoring game for both teams, the Red Raiders jumped to a 10 point lead after the first quarter and held the lead all game. “We didn’t shoot great tonight and sometimes that happens,” commented Hornell coach, Kirk Scholes. “We need to stay the course and keep working. We talked tonight about trying to find other ways to score. We need to get more transition points, second chance points, and free throw opportunities when the jump shot isn’t falling. We need to continue to try to get paint touches and play inside out.”
Scholes continued, “I was happy with how we played defensively tonight. I really thought we did a good job applying pressure and making things difficult for them. We held them to two single digit quarters in the first and third. I liked how we rebounded. It was really an emphasis in the last week of practice.”
Ben Woolever and Marco Picco led the Red Raider offense. Woolever led all scorers with 18 points and added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 steals, while Picco grabbed a double-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals in the win.
“I really liked what Marco and Ben gave tonight,” said Scholes. “Marco with a double double… I’ve been challenging him. I keep telling him I need a double double every night. He’s probably sick of hearing me talk about rebounding! I thought he played with great energy tonight. He was scoring in the paint and in the midrange. Two areas he excels in!
“As for Ben, I thought he got us going early. In the 2nd half, he realized that he wasn’t going to get wide open 3s and started driving the ball. He got on the offensive boards and made plays there as well.”
Demayne Dixon added 9 points and 5 rebounds for the Red Raiders, while Tyrone Buchanan had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, & 3 steals.
As the Red Raiders near the end of the regular season and look toward post-season play, Scholes was asked what improvements need to be made in the upcoming weeks. He responded, “We need to clean up our unforced turnovers. I thought we had way too many tonight. We need to value the ball and make good decisions every time down the floor.”
Dansville’s Jacon Kreiley led the Mustangs with 14 points.
Hornell will travel to Rochester to take on Class A, Aquinas Institute Monday night and close our their regular season schedule on Wednesday against the Haverling Rams. The Red Raiders are currently the #2 seed in Class B.
