Hornets on the hunt for second victory
A game that began with a bang, ended with a thud for the Colby Hornets girls basketball team on Thursday. Colby saw a 19 point lead evaporate at home as the Owen-Withee Blackhawks stunned the Hornets for a 59-54 comeback win.
The Hornets had no answers late in the game for the Blackhawk’s full court press and zone defense, turning the ball over numerous times that led to points in transition for Owen-Withee.
It was a surprising turnaround given how well the Hornets had played in the first half. Colby appeared in complete control in the first fifteen minutes of the game, opening up on a 23-6 run with 8:28 to play.
Colby’s inside-out game was a sight to see as seven different players scored in the first frame. Brett and Harrison Schmitt, along with Kya Viegut, all swished from three, and buckets from Hayden Willner and Kyle Orth gave Colby a 31-12 lead with 5:25 to play.
Head coach Terry Schmitt was left to wonder if that fast start wasn’t part of the problem, and with the game’s outcome seemingly assured, the Hornets took their foot off the gas, allowing Owen- Withee to begin their comeback.
“I told the girls that they let them back in that first half,” Schmitt said. “We had them, and I think if we had just finished strong that first half it would have been over with.”
The Blackhawks clawed back, closing out the first half on a 7-3 run that made it 34-19 at halftime. That run carried over to the second half, and it was the Blackhawks who scored the first points of the second half, going on a 12-4 run to close the gap.
The Hornets quickly realized they were in for a fight, and got back to their inside outside game, and with a big three by Viegut, got the lead back up to 16 at 4626 with 12:04 to play.
But the Blackhawks refused to go away, chipping away at the lead with free throws, and baskets inside from Reina Arndt, who scored a game high 25 points for Owen-Withee.
The Hornets’s double digit lead was cut down to two at 46-44 with 7:23, and just thirty seconds later, for the first time since the opening tip-off, the game was back to even footing, knotted at 47-47 with 6:51 remaining in the game.
Colby began to fade down the stretch, and each Hornet turnover, foul or missed free throw added fuel to the Blackhawks comeback.
The Hornets led for one last time off the back of a pair of free throws from Viegut, at 54-53 with 1:04 to play. Colby very nearly forced a turnover, but a last minute time out by Blackhawks head coach Josh Jalling, prevented the Hornets from adding to their lead.
In the final possessions of the game Colby struggled to get a shot off, while Owen-Withee was able to salt the game away from the charity stripe.
Colby had the chance to do the same, but finished a meager 17 of 39 on their free throws, missing several late attempts down the stretch that proved costly.
Owen-Withee out-scored the Hornets 40-20 in the second half to pull off the improbable come from behind victory, dropping the Hornets to 1-3 on the year and 1-2 in league play.
Kya Viegut turned in a stellar performance in the loss, scoring a new career high of 24 points, including nine of eleven makes at the line. Brett Schmitt chipped in with 12 points, but the rest of the Hornets could only manage 18 points.
Hayden Willner added seven points, Harrison Schmitt scored six. Kylie Orth and Angelique Hernandez added two apiece, and Trisha Vanderhoof collected one point.
The game was a sign of the Hornets promise, but also their inexperience, coach Schmitt says, and he vowed to use the game as a learning experience.
“This is a prime example of how young we are. We got our seniors, and they’re going to carry us at times, but the youth just tightened up, and it’s just going to take more game experience. It’s disappointing because we had this, but we’re going to mark it down as a game to learn from, and then move on.”
FINDING THE OPEN LANE -Kya Viegut drives to the basket against the Blackhawks. Viegut showed her full range of skills, hitting triples and shooting nearly 90% from the charity stripe for a career high 24 points.
