The Chillicothe Lady Hornets matched up against Barstow in the first round of the Grain Valley Tournament on Monday night.
Barstow was ready to compete from the opening tip, playing stingy defense and scoring the first nine points of the game putting some early pressure on Chillicothe. The Knights defense prevented Chillicothe from getting good looks at the basket, and without dead balls the Lady Hornets were unable to getting into their full-court pressure which typically leads to steals and runouts.
Eventually, the Lady Hornets got on the board, their first three points all coming from the free throw line. From there, Coach Smith’s team set up the press, forcing turnovers and looked more like the Lady Hornets fans have grown accustomed to seeing.
Once Chillicothe started their momentum, there was no stopping them. The Lady Hornets scored the final 14 points of the first quarter to lead 14-9. Then in the 2nd quarter Chillicothe scored the first 14 points to push the margin out to 28-9 before Barstow stopped the 28-0 onslaught. Chillicothe flipped an early nine point deficit to an 18 point halftime lead at 31-13 thanks in large part to the cycle of full court pressure which created steals, leading to open looks offensively then turning into more full court pressure.
Chillicothe also had some difficulties scoring in the half court because of the zone defense by Barstow that packed the lane and prevented Chillicothe from getting the looks around the rim that the Lady Hornets prefer. Sophomore point guard, Lexy Smith stepped up with some impressive outside shooting, knocking in a trifecta of three-pointers, while also attacking on the dribble drive. Smith finished with a career high 21 points in game.
The Lady Hornets prevented Barstow from getting any closer than 15 points in the 2nd half which was back and forth affair from each side. Lyla Beetsma also had a strong 2nd half for Chillicothe, finishing with 14 points and Chillicothe won comfortably 62-39.
The Lady Hornets advance to the Grain Valley semifinals on Wednesday at 7 PM. Chillicothe is now 15-1 on the year.
Chillicothe 14 31 46 62
Barstow 9 13 26 39
Individual scoring:
Chillicothe – Smith 21, Beetsma 14, Lydia Bonderer 8, Emerson Staton 6, Ava Leamer 5, Maddie Robinson 4, Dawson Baxter 2, Mya Oliver 2
Barstow – Talia Dreher 13, Annalisa Taylor 10, Bristol Sanders 8, Chloe Red Legs 8