The Chillicothe Hornets hosted Lafayette on Senior Night in an MEC affair. Lafayette entered the contest with a better record in conference play at 3-2 compared to Chillicothe at 1-3, but buoyed by the Hornets quartet of senior leaders and one exceptional junior the Hornets emerged with a signature conference win.
In the early going, both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Chillicothe kept Lafayette’s athletic guards and wings in front of them with excellent on ball defense, and anything that did get inside was erased by Jaishon White at the rim. On the other end, Lafayette’s quickness caused problems for the Hornets forcing Chillicothe into 16 turnovers throughout the contest. After one quarter Chillicothe was up 6-5, and ahead 16-14 by halftime.
In the 3rd quarter Chillicothe established control of the game, starting on the defensive end. The Hornets defense locked Lafayette down, preventing the Fighting Irish from making a single shot from the field in the quarter. Soljier Allen did an excellent job containing Lafayette’s star Antonio Williams, holding him to just one field goal and 5 points through the first 3 quarters. On both ends of the floor Jaishon White began to take over, scoring 13 2nd half points, including the Hornets first three-pointer of the night, dished out 5 assists, handled the ball under pressure, contested shots at the rim, including an emphatic block, and pulled down 16 rebounds. Chillicothe built up a 28-17 lead going into the 4th quarter.
The Hornets were up by 12 in the 4th before Lafayette made made a late push with a 10-1 scoring run cutting the deficit to just three. Chillicothe never waivered however, sealing the game at the free throw line, converting 9 from the stripe in the 4th quarter. The Hornets picked up their 2nd straight conference win, this one a 42-35 result behind White’s career night of 15 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists, all of which were game highs.
Chillicothe improves to 14-8 on the season and 2-3 in the MEC. The Hornets will take on Kirksville Monday and then close out the regular season with two more conference opponents later in the week.
Chillicothe 6 16 28 42
Lafayette 5 14 17 35
Individual scoring:
Chillicothe – White 15, Allen 9, Langsten Johnson 6, Ashton Baker 5, Kenyen Gannan 4, Cooper Robinson 2, Max Probasco 1
Lafayette – Williams 11, Jodell Redman 9, Daryan May 6, Bronson Bernard-Turner 6, Kyzdon Robertson 3
