The Chillicothe Hornets boys basketball team took on the host in the California Tournament semifinals Thursday night.
Chillicothe’s defensive intensity was on display right away. The Hornets flew out to a 10-0 lead and held the Pintos scoreless through the first five minutes. Chillicothe attacked down low with Jaishon White who scored 13 first half points and a game high 19. The Hornets also received some help on the perimeter from Sol’jier Allen who connected on two first half triples and finished with 10 points on the night. Chillicothe was ahead 23-12 at the half.
The Hornets pressure continued to cause problems for the Pintos. Chillicothe opened up a 20 point margin in the 2nd half behind excellent play off the bench. The Hornets kept California under 30 points total, the 2nd time Chillicothe’s defense has achieved that against an opponent this season. With the 47-29 victory, Chillicothe advances to the California Tournament Championship game on Saturday at 5:30.
The Hornets improve to 9-4 on the season and will play Eugene for the championship.
Chillicothe 13 23 36 49
California 3 12 20 29
Individual scoring:
Chillicothe – White 19, Allen 10, Max Probasco 7, Oliver Perry 4, Howie Donoho 4, Langston Johnson 2, Ashton Baker 1
California – Brooks Volkart 10, Hayden Kilmer 7, Kooper Messerli 7, Eli Porter 4, Landen Dunham 1