PEARCY — On Dec. 16, 2019, the Bryant White Lady Hornets eighth grade team went to Lake Hamilton and came home with a tough 29-27 loss to the Lady Wolves. On Thursday, they made a return trip and it turned out to be nothing like the first one as they dashed out to a 9-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and led 18-3 at the half on the way to a 28-17 victory.
“Last time, it came down to the wire,” acknowledged Lady Hornets coach Ben Perry. “This time, we knew we must play strict defense and not allow easy buckets. This time, we dominated the game. Our tough defense and early-on full-court press created turnovers and steals to allow for transition points.”
The Lady Hornets had 20 points off Lake Hamilton turnovers.
Brilynn Findley poured in 23 points to lead the Lady Hornets. Kristen Reese added 3 and Camille Calhoun had 2.
Bryant White was out-rebounded 13-10 but only committed 12 turnovers itself compared to Lake Hamilton’s 20.
“Most of ours were in the second half,” mentioned Perry, who substituted liberally after the break.
“We knew what we had to do on defense to make it difficult for their offense to score,” he related. “First quarter we came out with a full court press and created turnovers that led to points quickly. Our half-court defense was very solid the first half. It made it difficult for Lake Hamilton to find a seam to find the open man.
“We were very disciplined and when we were able to get deflections and steals, we transitioned up the floor for a quick bucket,” he continued. “Second half we allowed them to come back into the game, but we closed out well.
“Brilynn had 23 of our 28 points much to the aid of her teammates for creating deflections and steals which allowed for quick transition points,” the coach said. “The team has some improvements to make but we will be prepared for Cabot South on Tuesday when we return from the long weekend.
“I’m proud of the girls for rallying in this three-game week,” he concluded. “We had a two-game jamboree last Saturday and three-games this week. That’s five games in six days and we were able to get a victory in all of them.”
The winning streak has propelled the Lady Hornets to a 10-5 overall record. They’ll host Cabot South on Tuesday.
