The Chillicothe Lady Hornets entered Friday nights road contest at Savannah in unfamiliar territory. They were coming off their first conference loss in two years and looking to rebound against an MEC rival. Both teams were 2-1 in conference play while Chillicothe held a 15-5 overall record compared to Savannah at 16-4.
With the energy of the crowd behind them, the Lady Savages attacked from the onset. After hitting two early three pointers and going ahead 8-4, Coach Darren Smith called a time-out to reset his team. The Lady Hornets answered the call, tying the game up by the end of the first quarter and then holding Savannah to just four points in the 2nd quarter. The first half was played at a deliberately slow pace and Chillicothe went into the break up 16-12.
In the 3rd quarter both offenses found more rhythm, there were as many points scored in the frame as the entire first half. Savannah made a run early in the 3rd to take a one point lead, but Chillicothe responded immediately with a triple from Lexy Smith to go back on top. Chillicothe continued the momentum to open up a 7 point lead before Savannah cut it to 30-26 going into the final frame. Once again Savannah made a push, taking the lead at 31-30 before Lyla Beetsma delivered another crucial long range effort. This time the Lady Hornets never looked back, closing out the game behind great plays from Beetsma and Liz Oliver who both scored in double figures on the night.
Chillicothe picked up a vital conference win 47-37 over Savannah. The Lady Hornets are now 16-5 on the year and 3-1 in the MEC.
Chillicothe 8 16 30 47
Savannah 8 12 26 37
Individual scoring:
Chillicothe – Oliver 11, Beetsma 11, Smith 9, Lydia Bonderer 7, Emerson Staton 6, Ava Leamer 3
Savannah – Mylee Schrick 11, Macee Blythe 9, Ambi Jones 7, Taylor Hilsabeck 5, Ella Scott 3, Reagan Bauer 2
