COLONY — A packed gym did nothing but heighten the tension in a hard-fought battle between the Crest High Lancers and the Chetopa High Hornets.
The Lancers failed to pull within striking distance of their opponent, dropping the match 62-55. Chetopa is the only team to beat Crest other than the Humboldt Cubs.
“I hope tonight is what we needed,” head coach Travis Hermreck said. “You hope to learn from games like this.”
It was a tough night from the start.
The Hornets came out on a 7-0 run, with hits underneath from Derrick Cassell and Brice Riddle. Riddle caused problems for the Lancers throughout the game in the paint, pouring in 24 points.
Crest’s Jordan Morton hit a 3-pointer to end the run, and they were off to the races. The packed stands were loud and supportive for both sides. Friday evening was Crest High’s winter homecoming game.
The Hornets took a 15-7 advantage into the second.
The momentum was all Chetopa for the remainder of the half. The Lancers tried to get things jumpstarted from their end of the court on offense, but shots fell cold. Brock Ellis had back-to-back jumpers, and Jesse Boone and Kyle Hammond got on the board as well. But, Chetopa’s Breylan Berrios hit two from outside to get the opposing team’s fans on their feet, celebrating a 32-20 lead.
“If you spot a team like Chetopa 12 points in the first half, 16 minutes is not going to be enough time get back into the game,” Hermreck said.
He hit the nail on the head.
Morton and Hammond made their best attempts to get the Lancers back in a rythmn for the second half, sometimes with success. Hammond had 15 points in the third quarter alone, with some big 3-pointers to swing the momentum in the home team’s direction. He hit one at the buzzer of the third to bring the Lancers within seven, 44-37.
By the fourth, Crest’s foul total had mounted and the Hornets were in the bonus. Fouls on nearly every defensive possession for the Lancers had Chetopa on the line multiple times. Morton hit two 3-pointers with just over two minutes remaining to give the team one last breath. But, the fouls continued to mount until the Hornets were out of their grasp.
Hammond led the Lancers with 30 points, most of which came from a strong second-half performance. Boone contributed 12 points and Morton had nine. Brock Ellis, the only other player to score, had four.
“I’m proud of the fact that we played hard, you can’t ask for any more effort,” Hermreck said. “They don’t like losing any more than I do.”
Crest travels to Olpe on Tuesday.
Chetopa (15-17-12-18—62)
Crest (7-13-17-18—55)
Chetopa (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Cassell 4-5-3-13, Berrios 3/1-6-0-15, Riddle 10-4-4-24, Sanders 0/3-1-0-10. TOTALS: 17/4-16-7-62.
Crest (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Boone 6-0-4-12, Morton 0/3-0-4-9, Hammond 5/6-2-3-30, Ellis 2-0-2-4. TOTALS: 13/9-2-13-55.
Hornets sting Lancers in key TRL matchup
