The Huntland High School Hornets lost to the Upperman Bees 74-61 at Richland Thursday in the third-place game for the Richland Christmas Classic.
The Hornets fell behind late in the first half and continued to trail for the rest of the day as they settled for a fourth-place finish in the tournament.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the Hornets opened the game on a 12-4 run before the Bees scored nine straight points to pull ahead.
The Hornets answered back with six straight points to end the period with an 18-13 lead.
A run of 14 straight points by the Bees late in the second quarter would flip the scoreboard against the Hornets for the rest of the day.
Huntland trailed 35-28 at halftime. Zeier Golden scored 19 of Huntland’s 28 points in the first half.
The Bees started the third quarter with an 11-2 run to push the deficit even higher as the Hornets weren’t able to make up any ground.
Huntland trailed 52-42 going into the final period.
The deficit remained at double-digits for most of the fourth quarter as the Hornets went on to lose by 13 points. Braylen Phillips scored 10 of Huntland’s 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Golden led the Hornets with 24 points for the game, followed by Phillips with 20 points and Lashawn Kimmons and Cade Limbaugh with six points each.
Eli Wiggs and Trace Kilpatrick scored two points each, and Kannon Lafevers scored one point.
With the loss, the Hornets moved to 9-7 on the season.
Richland 53, Hornets 51Â
The Hornets lost to the Richland Raiders 53-51 on the road on Dec. 28, 2022, in a semifinal game for the Richland Christmas Classic.
The Hornets led for most of the day, but the hosting Raiders jumped ahead in the fourth quarter and held off Huntland in the waning seconds of the close contest.
The Hornets led by a small amount for most of the opening period with the Raiders hitting a layup at the buzzer to tie the score at 15-15 going into the second quarter.
The score remained close throughout the second quarter with the Hornets holding onto a slight advantage going into the halftime break.
They led 23-21 at halftime.
The Hornets held the lead for the entire third quarter as they pulled ahead by as many as nine points before settling for a two-possession lead as the period ended.
They led 39-35 going into the final period.
The Hornets were held scoreless for the first five minutes of the fourth quarter with the Raiders taking advantage and building a 42-39 lead midway through the period.
Facing a six point-deficit in the final minute, the Hornets got 3-pointers from Phillips and Kimmons which were sandwiched around a layup by the Raiders to make it a two-point game with about 3 seconds left. However, the Raiders held onto the ball for the rest of the game to seal Huntland’s two-point loss.
Golden led the Hornets with 16 points for the game, followed by Phillips with 11 points and Wiggs with 10.
Kimmons scored eight points, Lafevers scored four and Kilpatrick scored two.
With the loss, the Hornets moved to 9-6 on the season.
Hornets 82, Summertown 80Â
The Hornets beat the Summertown Eagles 82-80 in overtime at Richland Tuesday in a first-round game for the Richland Christmas Classic.
The teams were never separated by more than six points as the Hornets ultimately prevailed in an extra period to start the tournament off with a victory.
The score was tied at four separate points in the opening period as the Eagles staked themselves to a small lead at the end of the quarter. Golden scored 11 of Huntland’s 20 points in the first quarter.
The Hornets trailed 22-20 after one quarter.
There were nine lead changes in the second quarter alone as the teams continued to trade baskets and went into the halftime break tied at 37-37.
The score remained incredibly close throughout the third quarter as the Hornets took a 55-54 lead on a layup by Wiggs with about two seconds left in the period.
Phillips added a free throw to the scoring tally after the buzzer when the Eagles were whistled for a technical foul to make it a 56-54 game going into the fourth quarter.
The Hornets took a 73-67 lead with 1:12 remaining, but the Eagles rallied to tie the score with 35 seconds left in regulation.
A 3-pointer by Phillips at the buzzer wouldn’t fall, and the game went into overtime tied at 73-73.
The Hornets took a five-point lead early in the extra period before the Eagles cut the deficit down to a single point with about one minute remaining.
Kilpatrick hit a free throw with nine seconds left to give the Hornets a little more breathing room, and a mid-range shot by the Eagles at the buzzer missed the mark as the Hornets held on to win by two.
Golden led the Hornets with 24 points for the game, followed by Phillips with 17 points and Wiggs and Kimmons with 14 points each.
Kilpatrick scored seven points, and Limbaugh and Lafevers scored three points each.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 9-5 on the season.
They will next play Friday at home against Cornersville High School. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
