Sport
19 December, 2023
Mixed weekend for Hornets teams
The Hornets men defeated Ararat on Saturday, but lost a thriller to Portland by one point on Sunday whilst the women lost to Portland at the Horsham Basketball Stadium.
The Hornets celebrated milestones games for both men and women. Mitch Martin (100 games), Cody Bryan (50), Maddison Iredell (50) and Olivia Jones-Story (50).
Facing a double header, the weekend got off well for the Hornets men, defeating Ararat by 12 points, 74-62.
A quick start ensured they led by 14 points at half time which enabled them to be able to take the pedal off in the second half to try and conserve energy for Sunday's clash against Portland.
Austin McKenzie led the way again with 27 points with Cody Bryan contributing with 21.
On Sunday, they faced a red hot Portland team in a rivalry match. After losing to them earlier in the season, a win was needed and the Hornets got off to a flying start leading 19-11 at quarter time and then extending that to 35-19 at half time.
A tight third quarter gave Portland hope as they outscored the Hornets by five points to reduce the deficit to 11 points at three quarter time.
The last quarter, Portland got on top, but the Hornets fought valiantly and were leading by two points with 15 seconds left.
Nathan Hardingham hit a three pointer with less than a second less to give Portland a one point lead.
In the last play of the game, the Hornets just missed a basket, losing 55-56.
Austin McKenzie led the way with 20 points with Cody Bryan shooting 16.
Hornets coach Scott Benbow said the defense was poor.
"We had a second half fadeout. There was a block of about two or three minutes where we defended poorly," he said.
"They managed to claw themselves back in the game. We got complacent and it is a hard one to swallow. The boys are hurting.
"We just need to finish off better so that is something we will look at."
Benbow said they are fit and are confident they can win games when they count but admitted that fatigue is starting to set in and the break is coming at the right time.
"We think we are a superior fit team but we have been on the road a lot this season," he said.
"The break has come at the right time as the boys are starting to feel a bit of fatigue.
"We will rest up and are looking forward to getting back in early January for the run home."
The Hornets remain second on the ladder and travel to Terang on January 13 and Benbow knows it won't be easy.
"They actually beat Portland recently, so it's not going to be easy," he said.
The women lost to Portland by 13 points, 81-68. The Hornets were missing Jess Cannane and Tamara Ludekens and the game was highly physical with Portland coming out firing to take a six point lead at quarter time.
The Hornets bounced back in the second quarter to equal the scores at half time. In the second half they lost Caitlin Story to a broken finger and ran out of players as Portland ran to victory.
Story led the way with 17 points with Emalie Iredell and Olivia Jones-Story scoring 15 and 13 respectively.
The loss means they fall to fourth on the ladder. With two games to go, they will look to bounce back to consolidate a finals spot with a double header at home on January 20 and 21 against Warrnambool and Millicent respectively.