Friday, March 29, 2024

Hornets wallop West, improve to 14-1

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Gatesville raced to a 24-6 first-quarter lead and led 50-17 at the half en route to an 83-36 win over West on Tuesday in Gatesville.

The Hornets (14-1) swarmed the over-matched Trojans from the opening tip and ripped of a 20-2 run to turn a 4-2 advantage into a 24-4 advantage just before the end of the quarter.

In the second, they outscored West 26-11 thanks to eight points from Rayshon Smith and six points apiece from Banner Allman and West Allman. West Allman hit four three-pointers in the first half and scored all 14 of his points in the first two quarters.

In the first half, Gatesville shot 72% from the field including a sizzling 67% from behind the three-point line. Eighteen of their first half points came off West turnovers and 30 of their 50 first half points came in the paint.

On the defensive end, they had 13 first half steals and outrebounded the Trojans 15-8.

“We’re diverse. We have multiple guys who can guard multiple positions and play multiple positions. That’s why when we are playing as a team really well, we are tough to guard and we’re tough on the other end,” head coach Brit Campbell said.

Though the contest was in-hand by the break, Campbell added that the second half was no less significant – for the current game and other ones down the road.

“We still have to work on and learn to do things the right way,” he said. “We don’t need to pick up bad habits and we need to make (sure) we are working and getting better and focusing on the little things.”

He also noted that a large lead allowed him to integrate his reserves into the game more liberally than normal.

“We kept telling guys that if you are on the court then you need to compete. And they did. We had a little letup in the third quarter but other than that they competed,” he said.

West managed to prevent the Hornets from significantly extending their lead in the third quarter as Gatesville led 64-26 after three quarters.

In the fourth, the Hornets’ hot shooting night continued as Smith, Shea, Carter Williams, and Scout Hall all connected from beyond the three-point arc.

Shea finished with 21 points and was followed by Smith’s 18. West Allman scored 14 points and Carter Williams shined with 11 points, 9 rebounds and five assists. Banner Allman had 10 points and seven rebounds in just 17 minutes of action.

Gatesville traveled to McGregor on Friday to play a much-improved Bulldog program that has won three straight to push their season record to 8-5.