The Chillicothe Lady Hornets basketball team hosted Benton Friday night in a clash of two undefeated Midland Empire Conference teams. Both the Lady Cardinals and Lady Hornets entered the contest in the top 3 of the state in Class 4, along with 2-0 conference records.
Benton was able to play to their pace early, speeding up Chillicothe, forcing turnovers and getting open looks on the other end. Andrea Simmons knocked down a half court shot at the buzzer to end the first quarter giving Benton a 25-11 lead. The long range effort was indicative of the Lady Cardinals shooting on the night, hitting 13 three-pointers including 5 from Simmons. Benton continued to put pressure on Chillicothe in the 2nd quarter extending the margin out to 29 before the Lady Hornets closed the half with 7 straight points. Benton was ahead 44-22 at the break.
Liz Oliver was on fire for Chillicothe from behind the arc, hitting a trio of triples in each half, finishing with a team high 18, but Benton had a response anytime Chillicothe put together a string of good plays. The Lady Hornets struggled containing Benton point guard Eliana Arambula who poured in 18 points in the victory. Benton outscored Chillicothe in every quarter and pulled away for a 72-41 conference win.
The Chillicothe Lady Hornets are now 15-5 on the season and 2-1 in the MEC, while Benton improves to 14-5 and 3-0 in the conference. The Chillicothe Lady Hornets will be back in action next Friday night at Savannah for another conference matchup.
Chillicothe 11 22 33 41
Benton 25 44 61 72
Individual scoring:
Chillicothe – Oliver 18, Lyla Beetsma 11, Emerson Staton 5, Lydia Bonderer 4, Maicee Albrecht 2, Ava Leamer 1
Benton – Simmons 19, Arambula 18, Jalynn Brown 14, Emma Loehnig 12, Jerzey Ziolkowski 5, Klarabelle Turner 2, Jada Mabion 2
