Hornet playoffs
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ing fast break layup from Morillon capped off the scoring streak and gave the Hornets a 42-29 lead at halftime.
The Cardinals never recovered from the run. The deficit never dropped below double- digits and Colby was able to slowly but surely extend their lead even further over their opponents. The Hornets collected 15 steals over the course of the contest and continued to turn Crandon’s turnovers into easy fast break points on the opposite end. The visiting squad had no answers, and while they slightly outrebounded Colby, the lack of offensive production for the Cardinals kept them from being able to forge a rally.
The Hornets went on to outscore Crandon 38-23 in the second period, leading to yet another lopsided first round playoff victory for Colby.
On top of his team-high 21 points, Morillon also led the Hornets in assists, picking up a double-double after dishing out 11 over the course of the contest. He also co-led the squad with four steals and had five rebounds in the victory. Fleischmann went 4-for-7 from three point range and had the most rebounds for Colby, bringing down nine boards. He also had two steals.
Tucker Hayes also finished in the doubledigits, shooting an efficient 6-for-8 from the field to finish with 12 points. The senior
See HORNET PLAYOFFS/ Page 20 Hornet playoffs
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added four rebounds and two steals. Luke Hannula had a solid all-around game for Colby, collecting nine points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists, Landon Steinman had eight points , three rebounds and two assists, and Orth finished with six points and six rebounds. Braiden Johnson and Izaac Carrera rounded out the scoring with two points each.
Cadott, 90-85
Offense was the name of the game during the Cloverbelt-East/West crossover matchup between the two Hornet squads from Colby and Cadott. The visiting Colby team got 27 points from Reed Fleischmann, had five players score in double-digits and held off a late push from Cadott to defeat their opponents 90-85.
Colby shot 43.9 percent from the field and a plethora of free throw attempts bolstered their efficiency, helping the visiting Hornets put together their highest scoring performance of the season. They made 37 trips to the charity stripe against Cadott, their most in a single game over the course of the 2024-25 campaign, and connected on 25 of those attempts. Fleischmann and Colton Orth combined to go 20for-23 from the line both sinking 10 free throws each.
While Colby held the lead for much of the evening, it took every bit of offensive prowess from the visitors to keep Cadott at bay.
After the home team jumped out to a 4-0 lead, Colby scored eight unanswered points, getting five from Fleischmann and three from Luke Hannula to take the lead. Cadott managed to knot things up at 10-10, but a layup from Tucker Hayes put the visiting Hornets back on top. Miguel Morillon followed with a layup of his own and Colby opened up a nine point lead after Fleischmann and Hannula hit back-to-back threes.
The visitors stayed hot from beyond the arc as Landon Steinman and Fleischmann combined to hit three straight shots from long range to help Colby take their biggest lead of the half at 33-21. However, the hosting Hornets did not fade away, instead answering with three straight three pointers of their own and going on a 10-1 run to bring themselves back within a possession.
Hayes was able to finally cut the rally short with an oldfashioned three-point play and Colby maintained a multipossession lead for the rest of the period, heading into halftime up 44-38.
A three from Cadott to start the second half once again brought them back within three points, but Steinman sank a three of his own in response. Colby continued to stuff the stat sheet, scoring on seven straight possessions and opening up a 58-44 advantage.
The home team mounted yet another rally, going on a 132 run, but could never get closer than the three-point deficit. A make from the elbow from Morillon followed by backto- back baskets courtesy of Hayes gave the visiting Hornets some breathing room.
Cadott managed to hang around, but Colby managed to shoot well enough from the free throw line to stall out their comeback efforts. Steinman and Orth put the game on ice by sinking four free throws in the last few seconds of the contest, helping their team survive a final surge from their opponents and take home the win.
Fleischmann added a team-high 10 rebounds to his 27point performance to finish the evening with a double-double. He went 10-for-11 from the free throw line and added two assists and a steal.
Hayes had 19 points while shooting 9-for-14 from the field and collecting seven rebounds and two blocks. Steinman picked up 14 points and shot 3-for-4 from three point range, Morillon finished with 12 points, a team-high eight assists, five rebounds and two steals and Orth got all 10 of his points from the free throw line while grabbing eight rebounds. Hannula finished with eight points, five rebounds, and six assists.
FLOOR GENERAL - Reed Fleischmann scans the court for an open teammate in Auburndale. The junior led the team in their final game of the 2024-25 season with 18 points.
ROSS PATTERMANN/THE THORP COURIER
