The Chillicothe Hornets boys basketball team was in St. Joseph’s Thursday night for their first Midland Empire Conference matchup of the season as they took on Bishop LeBlond. The 6-3 Hornets were taking on a 9-4 Golden Eagles team that was coming off a 12 point win over Savannah. The game was very close throughout and both defenses were getting the better of the opposing offense. At halftime Chillicothe was leading 16-15.
Neither team could gain separation until the fourth quarter when Bishop LeBlond went ahead 37-31, it was the largest lead for either side at the time. Chillicothe trailed in large part due to turnovers, committing 17 in the game. The Hornets showed no quit though, they fought back and a James Matthew 3 point shot with just 12 seconds remaining made it a 41-40 game in favor of the Golden Eagles. After Bishop LeBlond went 1 for 2 at the free throw line, the Hornets found Jaishon White underneath the basket. He made a strong play to secure the ball, sink the shot, and was sent to the free throw line with a chance to seal the victory as the clock showed just 2.6 seconds. The free throw was off target and the game went to overtime at a score of 42-42.
In the overtime period, Jaishon White scored on the first possession from the same spot on the floor as he did to tie the game up late in regulation. The Hornets never relinquished the lead the rest of the way, even though they never made another field goal for the remainder of the game. Superb free throw shooting iced away the contest as Chillicothe was 11 out of 12 in OT from the stripe, including Soljier Allen going 6/6. Chillicothe pulled away to win by a final score of 55-47.
Coach Tim Cool and his team are now 7-3 this season and 1-0 in the MEC. The Hornets will play next in the Lawson Tournament on Monday, matching up with Cameron in the first round at 5:30.
The JV team defeated Bishop LeBlond 49-27, while the C team also won 44-24.
Chillicothe 8 16 26 42 55
LeBlond 7 15 27 42 47
Individual scoring:
Chillicothe – Allen 19, Matthew 13, White 13, Alijah Hibner 6, Jackson Trout 4
LeBlond – Trey Icke 18, Jacob Winkelbauer 8, Chris Miljavac 8, Cooper Waterman 6, Gannon Sowell 5, Logan Grable 2
