NEW ALBANY
Christian Academy ended its five-game losing streak, and Medora lost its fifth straight game in a 66-39 contest Monday night.
At the start of the game, it was mostly two players’ contributions.
Carley McCammon dropped nine points for the visiting Hornets, and Brittany Moffett added nine to the Warriors for her squad as Christian Academy led 18-12 after eight minutes of play.
In the second quarter, the Hornets climbed back.
The Hornets’ Jadelyn Dean and McCammon each netted five points before halftime as their team trailed 26-24.
Following the break, the Warriors went on a 7-0 run until the Hornets’ Lillian Hatfield hit a mid-range jump shot with 3:53 left in the third quarter.
“We’ve had a real problem all year playing competitive for a half; it seems like we forget to come out of the locker room in the second half,” Hornets coach Brad McCammon said. “It didn’t help us having Avery (Carney) out with concussion symptoms. We didn’t have a lot of size, and (Christian Academy) had a lot of size.”
Midway through the quarter, the Hornets lost starting guard Victoria Pfeiffer to an injury following a rebound.
With most of their team banged-up, the Hornets relied on their bench play. The Hornets finished with seven healthy players on their roster at the end of the night.
“I like the fact that (the bench) is sticking their nose in there and being more aggressive,” Brad McCammon said. “Lillian (Hatfield) did a nice job of getting a couple of buckets. They’re understating the game a little better. At the beginning of the year (the bench) was just terrified, and now they’re relaxing and playing. I’m giving them more minutes; you can’t expect five kids to play the entire game.”
Throughout the third period, the Hornets struggled with their turnovers.
“They put a full-court pressure on us the second half and were able to be a little more aggressive,” Brad McCammon said. “I can’t fault the kids. They all gave us effort. We just need to understand how to win on the road. We need to do a better job at the free-throw line and box out.”
The Warriors then went on a 9-1 run to lead 47-28. Dean hit a couple of free throws before the start of the final quarter, but the Hornets had dug themselves a 49-31 hole.
Down 18 points, the Hornets couldn’t muster a comeback in the final eight minutes of play.
“If you look at the score it really isn’t an indication of how well we really played,” Brad McCammon said. “In the third quarter it just got away from us. It seems like every other night we have a kid down, I just wish we could keep them all healthy. It makes it tough.”
Carley McCammon led the Hornets with 18 points, while Dean added 12. Moffett led all scorers with 21 points for the Warriors.
The Warriors finished with 30 fouls, and the Hornets made just 17 free throws on 35 attempts.
On Friday, the Hornets (5-17) host Union (Dugger).