The #2 Chillicothe Hornets met #3 Lafayette Fighting Irish in the Class 4 District 16 semifinal from Benton High School on Thursday night.
With a trip to the district finals on the line, Lafayette was determined from the opening tip. The Fighting Irish forced turnovers on the first 5 Chillicothe offensive possessions, racing out to a 10-0 lead.
Chillicothe was never able to slow down Lafayette’s momentum in the first half, the Fighting Irish’ defensive pressure limited Chillicothe to just 15 first half points. Meanwhile Lafayette’s Antonio Williams scored 18 before intermission, leading Lafayette to a 20 point margin at halftime.
In the 3rd quarter, Chillicothe made a push offensively, producing points from Jaishon White down low, Sol’jier Allen in the open court and Kenyen Gannan from behind the arc. The Hornets scored 20 in the quarter. However, Lafayette’s offense refused to slow down behind Williams notching a game high 30 points and Kyzdon Robertson adding 11 for the Fighting Irish.
Lafayette led 54-35 entering the 4th quarter, and closed the game out slowing down the tempo to win 66-43.
#3 Lafayette will play #1 Benton in the Class 4 District Final Friday night. The Chillicothe Hornets basketball teams concludes the season 15-11, the 12th straight winning record for the Hornets under Coach Tim Cool.
Chillicothe 8 15 35 43
Lafayette 17 35 54 66
Individual scoring:
Chillicothe – White 14, Allen 12, Gannan 8, Langsten Johnson 5, Oliver Perry 2, Cooper Robinson 2
Lafayette – Williams 30, Robertson 11, Daryan May 8, Jodell Redman 7, Evan Parksel 4, Owen Zeit 3, Bronson Bernard-Turner 2, Jacob Koelzer 1
