Hornets tack on a win over Potter-Dix, lose to Lusk

The weekend was a good one for the Pine Bluffs Hornets despite splitting the results of games against Potter-Dix and Lusk. Friday’s game was an overwhelming 74-49 victory for the Hornets at Potter-Dix. On Saturday, they lost a tight contest against the Tigers. Both were road games.

The first quarter of play against the Coyotes on Friday was fairly close with the Hornets finding the net for 20 points and the Coyotes hitting pay-dirt for 17. The second period widened the gap as Pine Bluffs tacked on 17 points and Potter-Dix added 14 to go into the locker room with a 37-31 Hornet lead. The Coyotes lost their howl in the third quarter, only putting six points on the board, unable to stop the Hornets from increasing their tally by 19. The Coyotes came back a bit in the fourth canto. They found the net for 12 points. The Hornets still outpaced their opponent with 18 points.

“The kids did a great job of taking their best player away in the second half,” said Hornet head coach Will Gray. “We also did a much better job of getting the ball to the rim and the block.”

With that win in the books, the Hornets hit the road again, heading to Lusk to face the Tigers. Lusk topped Pine Bluffs in the first canto, 20-17. The Hornets picked up the pace and added 14 points while keeping the Tigers a bit behind with 11 to keep the score an even 31 ending the first half of the game.

The Hornets and Tigers came out a touch tougher in the third quarter. Both teams were confined in the key, with Pine Bluffs landing nine points to Lusk’s six. With a three-point lead going into the final them to come away with the win. Unfortunately for the Hornets, Lusk was able to make a few more buckets to come away with a 56-52 win.

“A great game to be part of,” said Gray. “They just made a few more plays than us down the stretch. The boys played their hearts out, I am very proud of them.”

The team traveled to Guernsey on Tuesday for a make-up game. They finish their season on the road against Southeast on Friday and at Burns on Saturday.

Individual weekend stats

Points — Marquice Rivers 3, JC Thurin 17, Lane Nusbaum 25, Stephen Coverdale 12, Brady Lamb 13, Scott Gross 21, Harvey DeLaCruz 2, Taylor Fornstrom 29, Preston Thurin 1, Kyle Jeffres 2, Trent Werner 2quarter, the Hornets had their work cut out for