have had more opposite trajectories. ….
have had more opposite trajectories. Neillsville is thus far undefeated this season, beating each of their opponents by more than 25 points, with their last victory being a 71-29 win over Alma Center Lincoln. Meanwhile, after winning their first game of the season against Greenwood, Colby has yet to claim another, coming into the matchup with the Warriors on a seven-game losing streak. The odds certainly seemed stacked against the Hornets, with Neillsville serving as the worst possible opponent for a “get-right” game in the conference.
Inclement weather saw the game that was scheduled for last Thursday instead shifted to Friday, but the change in date seemed to do little to faze the visiting Warriors.
Neillsville jumped out to a 7-0 lead, though neither team looked particularly sharp on the offensive end early. Kylie Orth hit a three to score the Hornets first points, but the fourpoint deficit was all the closer Colby would get in the contest.
Following Orth’s basket, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes of game time, putting the home team in a 18-3 hole. Harrison Schmitt ended the scoring drought with Colby’s second three of the evening, but the tone for the game had largely been set.
Neillsville’s Paris Opelt threepointer with just under six minutes left to play started a 28-8 run for the visitors during the half’s closing moments. The Warriors followed Opelt’s lead and continued to connect from beyond the arc during this run, taking advantage of the holes in Colby’s 1-3-1 defense to find open shots from deep.
Scoring for both teams fell in the second half, with the Hornets still struggling to find holes in Neillsville’s zone and Colby switching to man-to-man, cutting down on the amount of open three-point shots available for the Warriors. In a more defensive game, the Hornets were largely able to keep up with their opponents, but the damage had already been done. While they were only outscored 17-14 in the second half, Colby still lost by more than 40 points due to the large advantage Neillsville had taken in the first half.
Colby will look to get their second win of the season at a two-day tournament held in Wautoma over winter break. The team will have numerous opportunities to do so over the Dec. 27 and 28 tournament.
Their next regular season game is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 5. The Hornets will be playing host to the Spencer Rockets, who are 2-6 overall. The Rockets are led on offense by Autumn Davis, who averages over 15 points per game. The game is set for a 7:15 p.m. start.
