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Winter Sports News 2006-2007 | More Winter Sports News Archives | Winter Sports Schedule Wrestling
Banquet - February 28 |
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Boys Basketball
CHS Hoopsters
Honored at Banquet
CAPTION: 2007-08 Chillicothe High School basketball special award winners and all-Midland Empire Conference honorees were announced during last night's annual postseason awards banquet. For the Lady Hornets, from left, senior Brooklyn Shearer was presented the Coaches' Award, senior Morgan Quinn the Hustle Award, senior Carole Myers the Rebounding Award and all-MEC honorable mention, senior Holly Williams all-MEC honorable mention, and sophomore Leanne Mathew the Free-Throw Shooting Award and all-MEC honorable mention. For the Hornets, from left, junior Colin Parker earned the Rebounding Award and all-MEC honorable mention, senior Correy Miller the Hustle Award, and sophomore Bryce Young the Free-Throw Shooting Award and Coaches' Award and all-MEC honorable mention. Although neither Chillicothe High School basketball varsity team ended up playing .500 ball in 2007-08, both improved on their won-lost records of the previous season via hard work and dedication, head coaches Karen Jackson of the Lady Hornets and Matt Brownsberger of the Hornets shared with those attending last night's annual postseason awards event in the CHS commons. After winning only three times in 2006-07, this season's senior-dominated Lady Hornets came close to being at or above .500, finishing 11-13. Jackson credited the improvement to “hard work in the weight room and gym in the offseason.” Had it not been for a postponement of a late-season game against Maryville which left it rescheduled as the team's third game in three days, Jackson said it might have been a .500 year. A fresh Lady Hornets club might well have beaten the Lady Spoofhounds, instead of losing to them, the CHS coach said she believed. Had that outcome been reversed, Chillicothe's girls would have been 12-12 at year's end. The CHS girls were 2-5 in Midland Empire Conference play. Highlighting the Lady Hornets' campaign were two wins in two games - including one over eventual Class 3 state tournament participant Lawson - in the North Central Missouri College Shoot-out over the Christmas holiday and, winning twice in each, capturing trophies in both of their regular-season tournaments (consolation at Kearney and Cameron). At the conclusion of her remarks, after presenting full varsity letters to seven players - seniors Sara Mathew, Carole Myers, Morgan Quinn, Mallory Lowe, Meghan Perry, and Brooklyn Shearer and sophomore Leanne Mathew - and provisional letters to juniors Kelsie Sewell and Jaimie Baker and sophomore Devan Crowe, Jackson disclosed that three team members - Myers, Williams, and L. Mathew - had been selected by league coaches for honorable mention to this season's all-MEC team. The coach then announced the recipients of the four special awards given each year. The Coaches' Award went to Shearer, Hustle Award to Quinn, Rebounding Award to Myers, and Free Throw Shooting Award to L. Mathew. Brownsberger, new to CHS this season, guided his club to a 6-17 overall mark and 1-6 MEC record. The 2007-08 Hornets, with Tyson Blattner and Correy Miller the only senior members, had several highlight victories, the coach recalled, citing the "Senior Night" win over Savannah - the CHS boys' forst win in 14 league games, the late December win at Savannah which was their first road victory, and the Dec. 3 comeback home win over Marshall which was Brownsberger's first as Hornets coach. Full varsity letters went to the two seniors - Miller and Blattner, juniors Colin Parker, Tyler Trammell, Jacob Rockhold, Alex Singleton, and Timm Derrickson, and sophomores Young and Brett Stephens. Provisional letters went to junior Steven Taylor and freshmen Josh Rockhold, Blake Stephens, and Alex Thompson. Young and Parker received honorable mention to the all-MEC team, Brownsberger announced. Miller was presented the Hustle Award, Young the Coaches' and Free Throw Shooting awards, and Parker the Rebounding Award.
Another Lafayette
Laugher Ends Hornets' Year C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
ST. JOSEPH - After the St. Joseph: Lafayette Fighting Irish shot 67 percent from the field in their 81-48 home victory over the Chillicothe High School Hornets Feb. 12, the probability was that the Irish couldn't duplicate that when they met the same foe on the same floor a week later. They didn't, but they came close enough. Dominating inside with 6'3” Derrick Williams and 6'4” Craig Goodwin - who didn't play in last week's blowout, the Irish virtually duplicated the outcome, shooting 62 percent from the floor in ending Chillicothe's 2007-08 season with an 81-50 victory in the quarterfinals of the Class 4 District 16 tournament at Lafayette last night. “They're very, very quick. They've got a lot of weapons - good size, guard that are awfully quick, guards that can guard you, and they can shoot the basketball,” Hornets head coach Matt Brownsberger said of Lafayette (16-9) after his first season as CHS skipper officially concluded. “When they're playing well, they're capable of beating anybody.” Clearly it's capable of beating Chillicothe. In three meetings with the Hornets this season, Lafayette scored 83, 81, and 81 points and won each of the last two meetings by more than 30 points after prevailing by 13 in Chillicothe the first time. While Lafayette goes on to a semifinal clash with top-seeded crosstown rival St. Joseph: Benton Thursday, the Hornets head to the offseason after being 6-17 and losing eight of their last 10 games in Brownsberger's first year. The record was slightly better than CHS' 5-19 mark in Chad Snyder's tumultuous final season at the helm in 2006-07. Brownsberger acknowledged there's still major work to be done to resurrect the Hornets' fortunes, which have been in steady decline for several years. The fact that this year's team had only two seniors - a couple would-be returning seniors who would have helped add talent, size, and depth chose not to participate this year - should help that recovery, as should having a year's experience in the system Brownsberger utilizes. “We've just got to get back to basics. We've got to still try to believe in the system, and I know it's tough to do after going through a long season,” the coach told media after last night's defeat. Hornets Bargain
Well, But Can't Close Deal C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
CAMERON - Beaten by the Cameron Dragons on a neutral floor (Kearney) about five weeks earlier, the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets needed to avoid a repeat of the bad start they had in that one if they were going to have a chance to clip the Dragons' wings on the road in the Hornets' regular-season finale Friday night. They accomplished the former, but not the latter, as - after erasing an 8-point deficit they faced in the third quarter to twice inch in front by a point in the fourth - Cameron scored the last seven points of the game to prevail 52-46 in Midland Empire Conference competition. Chillicothe head coach Matt Brownsberger felt the Hornets' limited experience in trying to win a tight game against a solid team on the road showed up late. “We haven't been in this situation much this year and, a lot of times when you get into a 2-minute situation or a 1-minute situation late in the ballgame, it's one of those things you've got to be in a few times” to handle well,” he remarked afterward. “We have been in a couple times, but not enough and definitely not in a real hostile environment like this.” With the defeat, Chillicothe finished 1-6 in the MEC, taking seventh ahead of two-time victim Savannah after going winless in the loop last year. Overall, the Hornets head into tomorrow's Class 4 District 16 tournament opener against host St. Joseph: Lafayette with a 6-16 mark. Lucky or Good, Lafayette Irish
Drill Hornets ST. JOSEPH - If, knowing they'd meet the same team on the same floor seven days hence, the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets wanted to lull the St. Joseph: Lafayette Fighting Irish into a false sense of security, last night may well have been a success. If they were hoping to win, they were a total flop. Scoring inside and out, in transition and from the set offense, from the field and the free-throw line, the Irish had no more than a couple of scoreless possessions the entire first quarter, rocketing to a 30-8 lead which eventually became an 81-46 Midland Empire Conference victory. “They were just on fire,” Hornets head coach Matt Brownsberger marveled this morning, noting the Irish shot 77 percent overall from the field in the first half - including a perfect 7-of-7 mark from outside the 3-point arc. Lafayette finished at 67 percent for the game, with 73 percent luck from long range. “It's tough to beat a team when they're feeling it like that.” Although its offensive pace slowed after the first period, Lafayette (13-9, 4-2 MEC) still produced a couple more 20-points-plus periods as it reached the 80-point level against Chillicothe for the second time this season. Back just before Christmas, the Irish downed the Hornets 83-70. “They're a very dangerous basketball team and they're very capable of putting together nights like that,” Brownsberger said of the Fighting Irish. Chillicothe (6-15, 1-5) had its modest 2-game winning streak - its only winning streak of the regular-season since only one game remains - end decisively, never leading and being in a scoreless tie for only about 10 seconds. The Hornets will travel to Cameron Friday to wrap up their regular season before returning to north St. Joseph to face the Irish on their court again at 5:30 p.m. next Tuesday. CHS Hoops Teams
Seeded 5th in District ST. JOSEPH - Chillicothe High School's basketball Hornets and Lady Hornets aren't the lowest seeds in their respective gender divisions of next week's Class 4 District 16 tournament to be hosted by Lafayette High School in north St. Joseph. Perhaps it would have been better if they had. Perhaps it won't make any difference. Both the Lady Hornets and Hornets have been seeded fifth among the six teams, putting them in the same half of the bracket as the top seeds - Platte County's Lady Pirates and St. Joseph: Benton's Cardinals. By a quirk of fate, Chillicothe's teams - even though, as No. 5 seeds, they'll meet the No. 4 seeds in the opening round instead of the No. 3 clubs they would have had they been seeded last (6th) - will have to face teams which have recently defeated either a No. 1 or 2 seed from the tourney. With the first (quarterfinal) round of the girls' division set for next Monday, the Lady Hornets will be in district action first. At 5:30 p.m., they'll meet the Savannah Lady Savages, a team which has beaten the Lady Hornets twice - by nine points here in December and by 30 at Savannah last week. Last night, Savannah held 2nd-seeded Benton, last year's Class 4 state champion and ranked No. 5 in last week's Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association state rankings, to 21 points in winning by 11 in a Midland Empire Conference game. Should Karen Jackson's CHS club somehow spring a major upset on the neutral floor, it will earn the right to take on a Platte County squad ranked No. 6 in the state last week. the Lady Pirates won 62-48 in Chillicothe in early January. Hornets Tie Up
Loose Ends in Friday Victory C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Chillicothe High School's basketball Hornets triumph on "Senior Night" for their two senior class members, Correy Miller and Tyson Blattner. The winner wasn't decided until, after Chillicothe left the door ajar for the Savages with mediocre free-throw shooting in the closing minutes, Miller atoned for missing a free-throw with 15 seconds remaining by stealing the ball off the dribble from Savannah's Quinton Peak with about 10 seconds left. Down by two, Savannah fouled Tyler Trammell with 5.6 seconds to go and the junior guard nailed the coffin lid shut by swishing both foul shots for, with Savannah out of timeouts, an insurmountable 4-point lead. "That was a huge play," CHS head coach Matt Brownsberger said of Miller's swipe, adding it was only one of two big defensive plays the Hornets made in the final 45 seconds. "He did the right thing after he got the steal. Instead of rushing and shooting a shot, we got the ball back out and ticked off another about three or four seconds." Miller's theft wasn't the first time the Hornet had stung Savannah this season. It was his driving basket with three seconds remaining in overtime Jan. 5 which beat the Savages by two in overtime for Chillicothe's third win of the year. This time, his defense helped his team leave the court with twice that many victories. Brownsberger was happy Miller, who scored nine points in an extremely-balanced CHS attack, and Blattner, who tallied seven, were sent off with a win in their last home appearance. The Hornets' first-year coach also was glad to get his first "W" on the team's nominal home court. "It was just appropriate that our two seniors win their last game ever on this floor and we win our last game of the season on this floor. It's just a great win for us," the CHS mentor declared in post-game remarks. The victory also was the Hornets' first in their last 14 conference games, dating to a Feb. 10, 2006, win over the same foe on the same court. Friday's junior-varsity game was won by Savannah 44-31. The JV Hornets had 13 points from freshman Josh Rockhold. The freshman contest went to Savannah 45-29. Colin On Parker C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
On his way to an apparent varsity-career-high 19 points, Colin Parker ignited a 12-0 third-period run that erased a 9-point deficit with his third 3-pointer of the game and the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets nursed that slim lead through the final 91/2 minutes of the game to nip the visiting Kirks-ville Tigers 52-51 Saturday night. The non-conference victory ended a five-game losing streak for Chillicothe (5-14), which now is one win shy of last year's total. Kirksville, which reportedly sat out three normal starters for disciplinary reasons, slipped to 8-10. The Hornets got out of the starting blocks well, thanks to Parker, who scored 11 of their first 15 points. C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Hornets'
Deliberations Don't Change Decision After being blown out in their season opener and then giving a spirited account of themselves in a much-more-competitive clash in the Kearney "Bulldog Classic" tournament in early January, the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets had a surprise for the St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals and their Arizona State University bound star Johnny Coy in their third meeting as February started Friday night. However, as with any surprise, the initial shock wore off soon and normalcy soon reigned again. Using a deliberate offensive approach, the Hornets trailed by only three points after one period, but Benton took charge from there and put up a more-standard 60 points over the last three stanzas to defeat Chillicothe 63-38 at the Chillicothe Middle School fieldhouse. Look Out Below! C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Both shoes fell on the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets last night. Geared defensively to deny 6'6" Smithville Warriors center Andrew Jones the ball as much as possible and influence him to give up it up when he got it down low, the Hornets gambled that Jones' teammates would not hurt them from the perimeter as badly as a lightly-guarded Jones would inside. However, not only did that other shoe drop in the form of a combined five treys and 29 points from SHS guards Corey Hunhoff, Jacob Clouse, and Evan Lindbergh, but Jones powered his way to a game-high 30 points as the visiting Warriors stormed past Chillicothe 76-44. Hornets head coach Matt Brownsberger acknowledged that however sound the theory to neutralize the University of Missouri football Tigers-bound Jones may have been, its backfire potential was considerable and was realized. ."We were doing what we worked on, collapsing and making (Jones) give the basketball up," the CHS first-year coach reflected. "Then they start hitting outside shots and there's only so many times you can collapse and then close back out. They kept hitting those outside shots and that's part of the reason why the game was as lopsided as it was." The victory pushed Smithville's record to 12-8 overall and 1-1 in the Midland Empire Conference. The Hornets, who will host St. Joseph: Benton and its 6'6" star Johnny Coy at the Chillicothe Middle School fieldhouse in MEC play Friday, fell to 4-13 and 0-3. Cage Hornets Make Kearney
Earn First-Round Win C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
CAMERON - Chillicothe High School's basketball Hornets continue to show that, while the concept of “saving the best for last” may have been considered a radically-good idea for a wedding feast at Cana, it's a flawed strategy for sports competition, especially against a heavily-favored team. Although they momentarily led tall, top-seeded Kearney 5-4 and 8-6, thanks to 3-point shots by Tyson Blattner and Correy Miller, in the early going of their first-round game in the Cameron Invitational tournament last night, the Hornets again played from well behind most of the night. Once behind by double digits, the tourney's lowest seed came alive and actually outscored the Bulldogs by one point over the final 20-plus minutes, but all that got the Hornets was a respect-earning 80-66 loss. That defeat puts them in tomorrow's 4:30 p.m. consolation semifinal game against St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond. The fourth-seeded Eagles were beaten by Lawson 55-52 last night after the CHS game. NOTE: On Thursday, the Hornets lost to the Golden Eagles of St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond in the consolation semifinals of the Cameron Invitational tournament. Their current record is 4-12. 'Spotting' A Flaw C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
"Spotting” a foe an advantage in a competition is considered a way to try to make things “fair” when the opponents are clearly unevenly matched. Back in 1974 or 1975, I and a friend decided to shoot some baskets at the city park in my small hometown. An out-of-towner I knew of by his basketball achievements - about my height, but far more skilled and athletic than me - had a proposal, possibly unsure that I knew about his abilities or perhaps not caring. “Hey, how about a game to 16 (baskets) and I'll 'spot' you 15,” he said with a smile, presumably wanting to play customary playground hoops game of that time (perhaps still) - “make it, take it,” in which the player or team which scores stays on offense for the next possession. I quickly declined, whether afraid of being embarrassed should I lose or, as I hinted with my response, I felt like I'd not really accomplish much, should I score my one before the NCAA Division I college basketball scoring leader the previous season got his 16. Unlike my near-opponent of 30-plus years ago, this year's Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets have no reason to want to “spot” any foe - even one with fewer wins than themselves - anything. Yet they do time and again and they've ended up paying the price. Friday night, the Maryville Spoofhounds became the latest team to benefit from the Hornets' unfortunate penchant for spotting a foe a considerable lead, scoring eight of the game's first 10 points and never leading by less than two thereafter in a 57-43 Midland Empire Conference conquest in Chillicothe. Chillicothe Bullies Trenton's Bulldogs C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
TRENTON - A good start and an unbroken string of 16 points - eight on each side of halftime, highlighted by Colin Parker's half-court bank shot as the second-period buzzer sounded, was the story of the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets' 64-50 triumph over the host Trenton Bulldogs last night. Chillicothe (4-9) remained short of double-digit defeats on the season by leading from start to finish and fending off a couple of belated Bulldogs bids to rally from a big deficit. “We made a couple of shots early, kind of got out to a lead, and weren't playing defense from behind,” CHS coach Matt Brownsberger summarized. “Our offense sparked our defense tonight.” That offense produced at least 13 points in every period, including a big 23-point second quarter that culminated with Parker's circus shot which made it 36-20 at the break. Snapping a brief two-game losing streak, the Hornets never trailed the Bulldogs (8-4). Sophomore guard Bryce Young had the touch early, sinking a couple of free throws about a half-minute into the action and making it 4-0 with a foul-line “J.” After Tyler Brinkley came off the THS bench to drain a 3-pointer which got the home team on the board, Young produced three the old-fashioned way, hitting a driving shot while getting hit and converting the free throw. Dragons Pancake
Flat Hornets with Strong Start, Big Finish C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
KEARNEY - Chillicothe High School's basketball Hornets clearly seem to be victims of habit. In a very high percentage of their 2007-08 games to date, they have fallen well behind early, battled to either catch up or, at least, keep things respectable, and then eventually been disposed of by another opponent's surge in the second half. That was the way things unfolded again last night in the consolation semifinals of the Kearney “Bulldog Classic” tournament at Summit Ridge Middle School. The Cameron Dragons bolted to a 13-4 lead after one quarter and, after the Hornets doggedly scrambled back to within three points early in the fourth quarter, disposed of Chillicothe with a run of 15 consecutive points, claiming a 48-36 conquest. “We were flat,” Chillicothe coach Matt Brownsberger admitted. “We didn't come ready to play.” “They beat us up and down the floor, beat us to loose balls, beat us to rebounds. They just out-played us in every phase.” Perhaps the psychological and emotional lack of readiness should have been anticipated after the Hornets gave a huge, game-long effort, both emotionally and physically, two nights earlier in a bid to upset top-seeded St. Joseph: Benton in the opening round. For most of the first half, the Hornets looked out of sync as they attempted to execute an entry-pass-oriented screening and cutting offense they usually can't operate because foes' height advantage makes it tough to score inside. At least three times, a Chillicothe pass went sailing to a vacated space as the passer and intended recipient weren't on the same wavelength on where the ball or a player was supposed to go. Meanwhile, Cameron used its strength and quickness to stick close on the perimeter defensively, denying the Hornets 3-point opportunities they often count on against taller opponents. Similarly, it used its own cut-and-screen attack, its superior strength allowing it to establish and maintain better pass-receipt position inside. Hornets Fall, but
Stand Tall C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
KEARNEY - Back on Nov. 27, in their season opener under new coach Matt Brownsberger, the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets trailed the St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals by 35 points after three quarters and lost 68-37 after a quick fourth period under the "running clock" rule. Meeting a second time last night, in the first round of the "Bulldog Classic" tournament, the Hornets saw Benton bolt to a 25-9 lead after eight minutes. When Benton 6'6" All-Stater Johnny Coy grabbed a long offensive rebound in mid-lane and leaned in for the follow shot a minute into the second period, the spread was 18 points and another rout with a fourth-quarter "running clock" appeared in the offing. However, the Hornets said, "Think again." Although it eventually would fall 82-65, Chillicothe (3-8) got within eight points just past the mid-point of the second quarter and a 22-8 surge from the last minute of the third through the first five minutes of the fourth had it a 10-point game with less than 21/2 minutes left before top-seeded Benton (6-2) secured the victory. "I'm just really proud of them," Brownsberger saluted his squad afterward. "I think we've come a long way since November 27." Unfortunately for Chillicothe, getting only the moral victory means it drops into the consolation bracket of the tournament. There, it will face another Midland Empire Conference mate, Cameron, at 6 p.m. tomorrow. Cameron (3-7) was beaten by Independence: Fort Osage 57-46 last night right after the Hornets' game. Hornets Edge Savannah in OT on Miller
Baseline Drive C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
SAVANNAH - After spending the first two periods of their Saturday late-afternoon game successfully playing the Savannah Savages seemingly1-on-5 offensively, it was almost no sweat for the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets to beat them 1-on-1 for the game-winning basket. After Savannah's Lee McFadden hit a game-knotting free throw with eight seconds left in overtime, Hornets senior Correy Miller took his man with a drive along the baseline and hit a game-winning floater with three seconds to go to give Chillicothe (3-7) a 55-53 non-conference victory. "He's just been a solid rock for us all year, whether we need him to score, rebound, take a couple of charges, whatever it was. Tonight, it was make the last shot and he did it." Miller's winner came in a game in which all 10 CHS first-quarter points were scored by Bryce Young and the first 11 of a 13-point second period came courtesy of senior Tyson Blattner. It wasn't until junior forward Colin Parker scored three seconds before halftime to give them a 23-21 intermission lead that the Hornets got scoring from a third player. "We were just very fortunate to come out of here with a win," CHS coach Matt Brownsberger commented afterward. Even though the Hornets were firing on only one cylinder at a time virtually the entire first half, that was enough to keep them not only in the game, but often in front. One
Quarter Pounding C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
One big feast wasn't enough to provide the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets with satisfaction last night. The Hornets gorged themselves for a 23-13 advantage over the visiting Platte County Pirates during the second period of their Midland Empire Conference opener at the CHS gym, but the Pirates took major advantage of the apparently-bloated Hornets after halftime, eventually gaining a 73-54 victory. “I feel like we lost our composure on the floor,” commented CHS head coach Matt Brownsberger, clearly his most-disappointed in his team thus far in this, his first year at the helm, after the Hornets went from a halftime tie to a 19-point loss. “When (the Pirates) made that 6-, 8-point run (a couple of minutes into the second half), we came back and tried to make individual plays as opposed to sticking with the set (offense), sticking with our system, trusting that we can make play out of that. “I think that's what also dug us the hole in the first quarter.” Platte County (5-5, 1-0) bolted to a 14-4 lead in the opening period, only to have the Hornets buzz back with the kind of balance that makes them most effective. Tyson Blattner hit a couple of 3-pointers, including one that tied the game at 27 just before intermission, and had nine points in the period. Three other Chillicothe players - Bryce Young, Tyler Trammell, and Colin Parker had two baskets apiece in the stanza - one of Trammell's a trey - as CHS moved the ball effectively and found good shots. “I felt we executed a little bit more, we trusted the system. We just made shots,” Brownsberger reflected on the cause of the second-period success. “We did a pretty good job (of) keeping (the Pirates) off the boards, not letting them get second-chance opportunities.” Hornets Start
Well, Floor it Down Stretch C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
TRENTON - Nearly all season, the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets have found themselves scrambling to erase sizable deficits in which they found themselves in the early stages of games. Throughout those occasions, the thought was if they could just get off to a competitive start, then subsequent stretches of good play as the game wore on could position them for victory. Monday, facing Monroe City in what turned out to be the last game of the third-annual North Central Missouri College Holiday Shootout, that theory got tested and proved out. Matt Brownsberger's hustling Hornets (2-6) scored first and led 10-5 just past the mid-point of the first period, allowing a 14-0 CHS run midway through the second half to - instead of erasing an opponent's lead - put the Hornets in charge on their way to a 57-44 triumph. Trailing 35-32 in the last minute of the third quarter, the Hornets got Colin Parker's 15-footer from near the right baseline to edge within one entering the final stanza and then reeled off 12 more points in succession in the first four minutes of the last period on their way to their second victory of the season. “We changed (full-court) defenses (from a man-to-man approach to a sagging zone press) there in the fourth quarter and got them off-balance and got some turnovers and some easy buckets,” Brownsberger said of the foundation for the decisive run. Having snapped a 4-game losing streak, Chillicothe will host tough Platte County in CHS' Midland Empire Conference opener tomorrow night (5 p.m. tripleheader, starting with the freshman game) before making up their pre-Christmas postponed game at Savannah Saturday. Spartans, Hornets
Heat Up Nets in Moberly Win C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
The undefeated Moberly Spartans didn't toy with the Chillicothe Hornets last night. The Hornets played too tenaciously for that luxury. However, the sizzling Spartans had enough of what it took to create a series of surges - the last carrying them to the final buzzer - that gave them a 79-55 triumph at the Chillicothe High School gym. After the Hornets made a gallant charge from a 21-point deficit late in the third quarter, Moberly (4-0) rocketed for 30 final-period points to finally dispose of the Hornets (1-4) in a non-conference game. "That seems to be the theme of our season so far - we dig ourselves a hole, then we spend a lot of energy digging ourselves out, then we give up another run and we have to spend a lot of energy digging ourselves out again,” CHS head coach Matt Brownsberger reflected. "Maybe one day - maybe this next game - we'll try to get out to a lead and try to go from there." When it wasn't getting sloppy with the ball - it had 17 turnovers, by CHS statisticians' count, Moberly was nearly unstoppable on the offensive end. The Spartans made 67 percent of their shots from the field - 28 of 38 from inside the 3-point arc and six of 13 outside. The also had a 27-18 advantage in rebounds. Chillicothe had its best shooting night thus far itself, knocking down 20 of 42 shots (48 percent), led by Correy Miller's 6-of-9 night in which he hit both of his trifecta tries. The Hornets played against form strategically at the outset, respecting the Spartans' superior quickness and height. Brownsberger deployed them in a 1-1-3 zone defense to try to help their rebounding capability and encouraged patience on the offensive end to shorten the game and test Moberly's willingness to defend for an extended stretch. Given the opportunity to disintegrate into undisciplined play and probably open the door for an embarrassing rout, the Hornets resisted and rebounded. "I thought the kids played hard," lauded Brownsberger. Hornets Take a
Backward Step in Loss EXCELSIOR SPRINGS - The previously-winless Excelsior Springs Tigers ran and ran and ran Friday night and finally the visiting Chillicothe Hornets could hide no more. Excelsior Springs ran off 10 unanswered points in the middle of the fourth quarter to finally distance themselves from the Hornets and claim a 56-44 triumph, the Tigers' first of 2007-08. Chillicothe dropped to 1-3. "Tonight's the first night I've been disappointed," new CHS head coach Matt Brownsberger disclosed afterward. "I'm disappointed in the way we played. I'm disappointed in the way we handled adversity. "We've just got to put it behind us and move on." Hornets, New Coach
Get First ‘W' C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Three games into their first season under the coaching of Matt Brownsberger, the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets might not equate to a child prodigy, but they aren't wasting time showing positive signs of development. Last Friday night in their home opener against Macon, they metaphorically “stood alone” for the first time, earning their first lead of the 2007-08 season with a fine second-quarter run. Even though they'd eventually lose the game, they'd progressed. Last night, again on the parquet court of the Chillicothe Middle School fieldhouse, they not only moved from standing to “taking their first step,” but also mastered “walking,” with signs they might be ready to run sooner than expected. The offensively-balanced Hornets spotted visiting Marshall's Owls a quick 4-0 lead and trailed 17-10 less than two minutes into second period, charged back to lead at halftime, and - after a give-and-take third quarter, efficiently protected a lead the full fourth stanza to register their first victory of the new season - 62-55. “Just trying to make simple plays was our focus going into this ballgame, not trying to force things,” remarked Brownsberger after netting his first triumph as CHS boys' coach, “and it really opened things up for us.” Tip-Off Time For Hornets C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
A new coach with a new voice and an up-tempo system will mix with a handful of experienced players, but a continued lack of height, in the 2007-08 Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets' season which tips off tomorrow night at St. Joseph with the traditional non-conference opener against the Benton Cardinals. The tripleheader at Benton's “Pop” Springer Gymnasium will begin with freshman action at 5 p.m. The junior-varsity and varsity contests will follow. Benton, which ended Chillicothe's season and Chad Snyder's 10-year tenure as Hornets head coach last February at the same site, is led by 6'6” All-State forward Johnny Coy. He recently signed to attend Arizona State on scholarship next year. New CHS coach Matt Brownsberger's first Hornets team looks to be one with interchangeable parts, but no “star.” Most of the players are in the 5'9”-6'1” range with little, if any, bulk. Four have extensive varsity experience, including now-sophomore guard Bryce Young, who was the best player on last year's 6-19 team. Young averaged a team-best 10.1 points per game, shot nearly 40 percent from the floor (including 41 percent from 3-point range) and 71 percent at the foul line, and paced the club in steals. If he can shrink his turnovers total, he could be among the area's best guards. Also back are senior wing guard Correy Miller and junior forward Colin Parker, each of whom started the majority of games last year, and sophomore guard Tyler Trammell (seven starts in 2006-07). Senior guard Tyson Blattner, a reserve who saw limited action in 14 contests a year ago, provides the rest of the varsity experience as would-be senior forward Cody Greenlaw, who played in every game and had four starts, is not out. Late-Night Look C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
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Girls
Basketball
Savannah's Pace
Too Fast for Lady Hornets C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
ST. JOSEPH - After a promising start, the hopes of the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets of extending their 2007-08 season in pursuit of at least a .500 campaign evaporated yesterday evening. Heavily-favored Savannah couldn't hit from the field early, but warmed up about five minutes in. Chillicothe never did and the predictable result was a 65-33 Lady Savages conquest. “In the second quarter, they had a couple of kids who usually don't hurt us step up and drain 3s. That put that much more pressure on us and we just struggled from them on,” reflected CHS coach Karen Jackson. The CHS loss in the first round of the Class 4 District 16 tournament at Lafayette High School concluded the Lady Hornets' season with an 11-13 record, a vast improvement from a 3-19 mark a year earlier. “After last year, when we only won three ballgames, they worked hard this summer and I really felt like they turned it around,” Jackson saluted her players. “We won 11 ballgames this year. Going into the season, I thought if we could win eight, that would be really good for us, and here we came up and won 11. “I was happy for them and I think they were pleased with how things went.” Lady Hornets Take
Fire out of Lady Dragons C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
After losing the lead by allowing eight consecutive points early in the second quarter, the Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets uncorked a stunning 23-2 run over an 8:43 stretch of the 3rd and 4th stanzas to turn a 6-point deficit into a double-digit lead and then a 47-33 victory over the Cameron Lady Dragons last night. On "Senior Night" at the CHS gym, the Lady Hornets concluded their regular season with an 11-12 record and a 2-5 Midland Empire Conference mark with a second-straight victory to propel them into next week's district tournament. “The kids wanted this one bad,” Lady Hornets coach Karen Jackson, whose oldest daughter Holly Williams was among the senior players competing on their home court for the last time, confirmed. “With seven seniors, you always want to win on ‘Senior Night.' Behind 26-19 after Sarah Hall's free throw with 5:04 to play in the third quarter, Chillicothe got its first basket of the second half and its first in more than six minutes when Sara Mathew recovered the loose-ball rebound after her own miss and scored from short range at the 3:54 mark. Not quite a half-minute later, the senior point guard netted two free throws to make it a 3-point difference, only to see Cameron's Brittany McClure double that with an open 3-pointer from right of the key with 2:49 on the clock. From there, it was nearly all Chillicothe as its press began to contaminate the visitors. “We had to do something to speed up the tempo of the game,” Jackson declared. “We're a much-better team in transition than we are in the set offense. They're sagging man-to-man defense was giving us all kinds of fits. “So we decided to go into our press and see what we could do. There, midway through the third quarter, we got it going and it made a huge difference in the outcome of the game.” C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Lafayette Lockdown C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Down to two chances to avoid a winless 2007-08 Midland Empire Conference season, the Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets didn't procrastinate last night. Hosting the St. Joseph: Lafayette Lady Irish, with whom they had split two prior meetings this season, the Lady Hornets scored first and never trailed as they posted a solid 43-29 win at the CHS gym. Chillicothe (10-12, 1-5) halted a 5-game losing streak which had taken them from two games over .500 to three under. Barring a surprising upset run through next week's tough Class 4 District 16 tournament at Lafayette, it's too late for this year's Lady Hornets to avert a sub-.500 final record. However, getting to double digits in victories this year is a solid accomplishment for this year's senior-laden squad, most of which was heavily involved in last year's 3-19 campaign. Those seniors - Meghan Perry, Sara Mathew, Brooklyn Shearer, Morgan Quinn, Mallory Lowe, Holly Williams, and Carole Myers - will be honored tomorrow night before their last home game. “Senior Night” ceremonies will precede the CHS girls' regular-season finale against Cameron at approximately 7:20 p.m. Other special activities as part of the traditional “Jam the Gym” night will take place tomorrow night, as well as the school district's special recognition of Ed Crawford, who has been associated with CHS sports programs as an athlete, reporter, and in his capacity as director of the city's parks and recreation department for the past 30 years. Last night's game wasn't a flawless beauty for the Chillicothe girls, but it was a clear improvement from recent blowout losses to Savannah and Kearney. The Lady Hornets performed solidly in nearly every phase of the game with the exception of its first-half defensive rebounding, which prevented them from leading by more than the 19-16 margin they held. "I thought we did a very good job, defensively, but then we allowed them too many second shots and third shots,” CHS head coach Karen Jackson complimented her team. “I thought, in the second half, we did a much better job of rebounding. Offensive Swoon
Strikes Lady Hornets Late C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Playing a third game in less than 48 hours, perhaps the fate of the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets late in Saturday evening's home game with Maryville was predictable. The Midland Empire Conference game saw nothing but pendulum swings the last three quarters and when the Lady Hornets - perhaps feeling the physical toll of their reconfigured schedule - couldn't convert the simplest of shots down the stretch, the last swing favored MHS' Lady Spoofhounds and gave them a 41-34 victory. With the game tied 34-34 with 2:45 remaining, Maryville produced the last seven points and took home its 13th victory in 18 games, but its first in five MEC tries. Chillicothe, losing a fifth-consecutive time, fell to 9-12,0-5. Chillicothe dropped its fifth-straight, in large part, by making one field goal and six points in the last 13 minutes despite getting many makeable shots from short, mid-, and long range. The Lady Hornets were topped by Myers' and L. Mathew's eight points each. Lowe, S. Mathew, and Williams each contributed six. Williams led with six rebounds and four steals. "Defensively, I thought we did a pretty darn good job, but we just had too many turnovers and shot horribly from the field," Jackson said, taking note of the stat sheet totals of 23 CHS giveaways and 21 percent shooting from the floor. The Lady Hornets made only 15 percent (four of 27) from the field after intermission. Saturday's action began with a junior-varsity contest Chillicothe won 50-36. On Thursday, the CHS girls and their seven seniors will have "Senior Night" recognition prior to the last regular-season game with Cameron. Lady Hornets Blown
Out Early Again Friday at Kearney KEARNEY - It was a different night at a different site, but the same Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets Friday, who lost their fourth in a row. One night after Savannah lit it up from outside the 3-point line early and often in an eventual 63-31 victory, Kearney and Rachel Simmons did it en route to a 57-33 triumph. Guilded by Herb Webster, winningest girls' coach in Missouri high school basketball history, Kearney got two treys from Simmons at it established a 12-2 lead after one quarter and was in front 30-13 at the half. Behind 47-23 after three quarters, Chillicothe managed to avoid back-to-back 30-point losses, playing mostly Kearney reserves to a standoff in the last eight minutes. After being limited to three first-half field goals, the Lady Hornets managed to hit nine in the last half. "It was a real physical game and we let it get us out of our game in the first half," commented Jackson. "The second half, we played quite a bit better." Statistically, in addition to Simmons' 15 points, Bailey Owen tallied 13 and Jenni Hartzler nine for Kearney, which hit 11 of 16 second-half shots (69 percent) from the floor. Chillicothe improved from 16 percent shooting in the opening half to 24 percent in the last, but still finished at only 21 percent. Carole Myers led CHS' scoring with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Holly Williams tossed in nine points and Sara Mathew eight. Lowe had six points - all after intermission - and led the team with five rebounds. The Lady Hornets did help cause 25 Kearney turnovers with Williams coming up with a half-dozen steals. The doubleheader began with Kearney claiming a 52-39 junior-varsity decision. Savages Bury Lady Hornets
Under Early Barrage of Treys SAVANNAH - Perhaps the Savannah Lady Savages were trying to help make three taxing days for the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets a little easier. With the Lady Hornets facing three games in three days, including a game at Kearney tonight and a home make-up game against Maryville Saturday evening, Savannah last night made it easier for CHS coach Karen Jackson to utilize a couple of reserves more to ease the physical toll on the six players who receive the bulk of the playing time by coming out of the chute with both guns blazing. By the time the smoke cleared, the Lady Savages had made seven of 13 first-half 3-point attempts and led 37-11 en route to a 61-31 Midland Empire Conference victory that thoroughly lacked any draining tension the last half. “With Savannah, they're either ‘on' or ‘off,'” Jackson commented today. “Last night, they were definitely ‘on.' They shot lights out.” It started with senior Sara Eiman hitting her first trey attempt and Savannah (14-6, 3-1) never letting Chillicothe catch up. The hosts would be on top 16-4 after one quarter as two Carole Myers deuces was all Chillicothe (9-10, 0-4 MEC) could muster. "They just lit it up. It didn't matter who was shooting it. It went through the basket," Jackson said. Once Savannah's guns started blazing, the Lady Hornets fell prey to the natural psychological reaction of wanting to catch up in a hurry. "We started rushing things in our offense and didn't stay with what we want to do," Jackson lamented. "In the second half, we got kind of settled down and played better on the offensive end." Eiman, a key member of the Lady Savages since her freshman year, yet not even a starter when Savannah played and won in Chillicothe earlier this season, made her last home game memorable. She hit half of her trey tries and all three of her shots inside the arc to finish with a game-best 21 points. Also lighting it up from downtown was Beth Reine. She nettled three of seven 3-point attempts and also converted all four of her free-throw attempts as she posted 15 points. Chelsie Verbick, usually a thorn in the Lady Hornets' side, added another 14 points and led all rebounders with eight. Holly Williams' 10 points paced CHS with Leanne Mathew tallying nine. Myers was blanked after the first quarter. Savannah took the junior-varsity game 52-32. Devan Crowe scored nine points for CHS. Chillicothe's freshmen fell, too, 38-33, after leading 19-15 at halftime. CHS' Ashley Myers scored 10 points. Lady Hornets Play
Well, But Lose at Smithville SMITHVILLE - A measure of satisfaction is what the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets had to console themselves with last night, rather than reveling in a big Midland Empire Conference road win. Playing probably their most-consistently strong first 20 minutes of what has turned into a most-respectable 2008-09 season, the Lady Hornets found themselves tied with the Smithville Lady Warriors 34-34 about midway through the third quarter. However, a 9-0 Smithville run over a span of about three minutes late in that stanza was the difference as the Lady Warriors (13-5, 1-1) gained a 60-48 victory. "I thought we played a great game. I thought we executed very well," a pleased and proud CHS head coach Karen Jackson reflected. With another game right away tonight - a make-up of a Dec. 3 postponement against Marshall, to be played at the CHS gym, Jackson is hopeful of a positive carryover despite the loss. "If we can play with the intensity level we had tonight, I think we should give (the Lady Owls) a good game." Lowe Flies in
Under Radar in Lady Hornets Win C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
CAMERON - A sneak punch, one the Cameron Lady Dragons never saw coming, delivered the knockout blow for the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets in the consolation game of the Cameron Invitational tournament Friday night. Through their first 15 games of the 2007-08 season, the Lady Hornets had received multiple double-digit scoring games from starters Carole Myers, Sara Mathew, and Holly Williams and sophomore top sub Leanne Mathew. Senior starters Morgan Quinn and Mallory Lowe each had gotten out of single digits only once, however, and carried averages of just a few points a game. So imagine Cameron's shock and consternation when Lowe and Quinn combined for 22 - 12 by Lowe - to lead Chillicothe to a 42-36 victory over the host team to claim the Lady Hornets' second trophy in as many chances this season. "The first game, she came out real strong for us and really had been silent since then,” Chillicothe coach Karen Jackson said of the unexpected nature of Lowe's offensive outburst. "We ran a couple of 'quick hitters' to her early in the fourth quarter and she made some shots and they were huge." Friday's triumph not only meant Chillicothe had gone two for two in earning regular-season trophies, but, at 9-7 overall, had moved to the brink of double-digit victories for the season, a level many would have doubted, prior to the season, that they could reach in the wake of last year's 3-19 mark. Heading into the bulk of their Midland Empire Conference schedule - they've lost their only previous MEC outing to No. 4-state-ranked Platte County - with tonight's road game at Smithville, the Lady Hornets have played above-.500 ball because they've developed what Jackson has sought from her squad the last several years - scoring balance potential. A Holly, Jolly Time C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
CAMERON - It was neither easy nor always pretty, but Chillicothe High School's basketball Lady Hornets did what they had to do yesterday to head into the final third of their 2007-08 season with no worse than a .500 record. Led by senior Holly Williams, the Lady Hornets turned back a challenge from St. Joseph: Benton's junior-varsity Lady Cardinals and posted a 52-38 triumph in the consolation semifinals of the Cameron Invitational tournament. That victory secured for Chillicothe. (8-7) an opportunity to earn their second trophy in as many tournaments this season. Having brought back the consolation hardware from Kearney's Bulldog Classic a couple of weeks ago, the Lady Hornets will meet host Cameron's Lady Dragons for the consolation prize at 5 p.m. Friday. Cameron defeated Excelsior Springs 60-51 last night after top-seeded St. Joseph: Central and No. 2 St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond advanced to the title game with wins. The Lady Hornets' eighth win of the year - after prevailing only three times in 22 tries a year ago - and the chance to play a third time at Cameron this week came about because Williams' 14 first-half points not only kept them afloat when most of the rest of the team couldn't find the shooting range, but helped them build a big lead that proved to be too much for Benton's "B" team to overcome. The senior guard/forward and daughter of coach Karen Jackson tallied six of the team's 11 points in the first quarter which ended with the Lady Hornets formulating a 6-0 run that moved them in front, 11-9. The late push began with Carole Myers' shot from right of the lane, continued with Leanne Mathew's free throw, and wrapped up with Williams driving the baseline to score after Myers had blocked a shot at the other end and then netting a free throw a short time later. "We came out a little flat," Jackson commented on the victory. "Monday night (1-point loss to Lawson) took a lot out of us. However, in the second quarter, we came out with better intensity and got things going." Lady Hornets
Struggle Down Stretch, Lose at Bishop LeBlond ST. JOSEPH - A chance for their first 4-game winning streak in at least a couple of years and perhaps longer was right there for the Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets' taking Friday night. With their game at St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond entering its final minutes, the Lady Hornets were up five. However, a flurry of missed shots and turnovers reminiscent of their loss at St. Joseph: Lafayette shortly before Christmas made an unwelcome return and victory slipped away. With Chillicothe folding up offensively, LeBlond's Lady Golden Eagles scored enough the last several minutes to squeeze by the Lady Hornets 38-35 in a meeting of teams which will be Midland Empire Conference mates next year. “We did not play very well,” a disappointed CHS coach Karen Jackson remarked today, “kind of like we played Tuesday night” in defeating Trenton. “ŠWe just didn't play very smooth.” The Lady Hornets will have to try to put the negative memory out of their heads quickly as they hit the court again tonight. They'll open play in the annual Cameron Invitational at 9 p.m., facing Lawson. Seeded fourth in the tourney, Chillicothe will try to repeat the outcome of its Dec. 31 triumph over Lawson in the North Central Missouri College Holiday Shootout at Trenton. Three-Game
Win Streak for CHS Girls C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
TRENTON - At their best at the start and end of quarters, the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets expanded their modest winning streak to three games last night, prevailing over the Trenton Lady Bulldogs 42-25. Chillicothe (7-5) got off to an 8-2 start, netted six of the first seven points of the second period, closed that stanza on a 9-0 run, and produced the final six points of the third quarter en route to getting two games over .500 for the first time in a couple of years. The Lady Hornets will try to extend that streak Friday as they visit St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond, a good team which narrowly defeated St. Joseph: Lafayette Monday, three days after the Lady Hornets beat Lafayette by nine last Friday. "They're very good," CHS coach Karen Jackson says of LeBlond. "ŠThey play a lot of pressure defense and we're definitely going to have to take care of the basketball. Hopefully, we'll be able to get some transition buckets off that pressure defense. "They've got a lot of kids that can score. They're quick (and) a very confident team." For the first time in a couple of years, confident is a word which also can be applied to CHS girls. The senior-dominated squad - only one underclassman gets any real playing time - has coalesced into a much-more productive offensive team than would have been projected at season's start. After struggling to score 40 points in a game most of last season, this year's team - while no offensive juggernaut - at least is netting that many most nights, even when the set offense isn't clicking. Last night's victory over a struggling (3-9) Trenton club. Lesson Learned
KEARNEY - A lesson was learned by the Chillicothe High School's basketball Lady Hornets when they visited the Lafayette Lady Irish at St. Joseph Dec. 18. Because they learned to take a larger lead next time, Friday night they earned a trophy in the “Bulldog Classic” tournament at Kearney, beating the Lady Irish 58-49. It's the program's first tournament trophy since finishing third in the Cameron tourney in 2006. Chillicothe did not win a tournament game anywhere last season. A game over .500 for the second time this season, the CHS girls will take a 6-5 record into varsity-only action at Trenton tomorrow night. The contest will be part of a 5 p.m. tripleheader with the Hornets' varsity and junior-varsity squads. Back before Christmas, the Lady Hornets got in front by five points after one quarter, settled into a close game, and then lost the last quarter and the game by five points. In the consolation finals at Kearney Friday, Chillicothe again found itself ahead by five points early in the second quarter, just as in December. This time, however, having won or played reasonably well in five of their six intervening game, they used their compounded confidence and sharpened skills to move farther and farther in front. Black Plague C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
KEARNEY - Coming off a first-round loss in the Kearney “Bulldog Classic” tournament two nights earlier, a defeat in which they scored only one point in the last quarter, things looked grim for Chillicothe High School's basketball Lady Hornets early last night. Excelsior Springs' Lindsay McGovern and Amanda Carr hit treys in the first 65 seconds for a 6-0 lead and, after Carole Myers' putback got CHS on the board at the 6:27 mark, three ESHS free throws and Melinda Hoagland's bank trey from the right wing made it 12-2 with 2:13 to play in the first quarter. At that point, Chillicothe had been outscored 27-3 in its previous 16 minutes of action. Then black-clad Excelsior Springs contracted a fatal case of “press plague.” Time after time after time ad nauseum for the remainder of the opening half, the Lady Tigers either threw the ball to Chillicothe or out of bounds or lost the dribble against the Lady Hornets' 1-2-1-1 full-court press. On top of that, they fouled repeatedly. Mostly from the foul line, Chillicothe eventually caught and passed Excelsior Springs in the second quarter and rolled on to a 46-35 triumph. “It's better to have a slow start that a slow finish,” CHS coach Karen Jackson stated afterward, thinking back to the offensive collapse in the prior game against St. Joseph: Benton which cost the Lady Hornets (5-5) a chance at a big upset. The consolation semifinals victory lets Chillicothe's girls go against St. Joseph: Lafayette (55-46 winner of Oak Grove last night) for a trophy Friday at 5 p.m. in the Kearney High School gym. “We're looking forward to playing for a trophy here,” Jackson commented. “It also gives us a chance to make up for kind of letting our (mid-December) game at Lafayette slip away from us.” The last time Chillicothe's girls won a trophy at the “Bulldog Classic” was in 2003 when they lost the championship game to Lafayette. Lost a bit in the shuffle of last night's victory is the fact that Chillicothe's late offensive woes against Benton continued against Excelsior Springs (4-7). The Lady Hornets made only 17 percent of their shots from the field, converting only 10 shots in 58 tries, even though they won by 11 points. Lady Hornets' Late
Ice Storm C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
SAVANNAH - Progress was made by the Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets against the St. Joseph: Benton Lady Cardinals last night. More work remains to be done, however. Chillicothe won the third quarter of their first-round game in the "Bulldog Classic" tournament and fought Benton to a standoff in the first, that combination allowing them to be within two points of last year's Class 4 state champions - albeit a Benton team minus several graduated players from 2006-07 - with less than 10 minutes to play. However, an offensive ice-up in that closing stretch relegated Chillicothe to another loss against Benton, this one 48-32. "The kids played hard and gave it everything they had. We'll see these guys again and hopefully the outcome will be different," reflected CHS coach Karen Jackson. Lady Hornets Torched by Platte County C-T Photo / Paul Sturm CAPTION: Chillicothe seniors Mallory Lowe (left) and Morgan Quinn sandwich 6'4” Morgan Johnson of the The Platte County Lady Pirates opened their game in Chillicothe with six-straight points in less than two minutes Friday night. However, in the words of Lt. Frank Slade in "Scent of a Woman," they were "just getting warmed up here." Borrowing a page from the same script their male counterparts used in the fourth quarter here the night before, the unbeaten Lady Pirates (12-0, 1-0 MEC) took a flame-thrower to the Lady Hornets at the start of the second quarter, scorching them for 15 unanswered tallies to stake out a 25-point lead on their way to an eventual 62-48 triumph that wasn't anywhere near that close. "They were a better ballclub than we were, there's no doubt in that," CHS coach Karen Jackson said of the now 12-0 Lady Pirates, "but I just wish we would have come out and played a little more confidently and not got so scared." With Platte County leaving the Midland Empire Conference after this school year, Chillicothe will have the chance - if Jackson chooses - to not have to face this group - none of which are seniors - again. A PCHS roster which features aggressive, 6'4" Morgan Johnson and an assortment of more-moderately-sized, but well-talented, players, had its way with Chillicothe (4-4, 0-1 MEC) for three-plus quarters. Sting Operation C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
For most basketball teams, a 3-game winning streak is nice, but, as the old saying goes, “nothing to write home about.” However, when it happens for a team which earned only three victories the entirety of the prior season, it's much more notable. Chillicothe High School's Lady Hornets now own such a streak after impressively dispatching the visiting Kirksville Lady Tigers 46-34 in the CHS gym last night. It followed by two days a comeback overtime triumph over another fine team (Lawson) with a winning record and added to a modest string of successes which commenced last Friday with a triumph over winless Higginsville. Were it not for some late mistakes in their final pre-Christmas game at then-winless St. Joseph: Lafayette, Chillicothe could be on a four-game run and be a couple of games over .500 for the 2007-08 season. As it is, Karen Jackson's Lady Hornets are 4-3 entering their Midland Empire Conference opener Friday night after finishing 3-19 last year. “It was big,” the CHS coach said of last night's home win over KHS' Lady Tigers (5-4). “We knew coming in it was going to be a very tough ballgame. Year in, year out, Kirksville's just a solid ballclub.” Based on what they showed last night, Kirksville - while having some nice height with four players of 5'10” or taller - isn't up to its previous standards, but it certainly isn't chopped liver, either. The difference seemed to be emerging, growing self-confidence on the part of the senior-dominated Lady Hornets. “(Beating) Lawson was huge for our confidence,” Jackson mused. “Tonight, I thought we carried that on and stepped on the floor and said, ‘You're going to have to beat us.'” Chillicothe never trailed in the game and led the final 27:55 after the first bucket of a stunning, transition-game-fueled, 14-0 run snapped an early 4-4 deadlock. “The scouting reports I had on them (was) they had trouble getting back on defense,” .the CHS coach recounted to local media afterward. “That's what gave us our lead - we pushed the ball up the floor. I think our first four or five shots were nothing but layups. “That got us some confidence built in and then our defense just fed off that.” Just as impressive as what Chillicothe did to formulate its big lead was the poise and polish it showed in effectively maintaining it the rest of the contest. From its 14-point zenith, the CHS lead never was less than half that - and then only once for a mere 17 seconds - thereafter. Lady Hornets Take
Flight Late, Win in OT C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer CAPTION: Chillicothe Lady Hornets sophomore guard Leanne Mathew drives toward the basket despite TRENTON - Momentum swings so wide motion sickness pills might have been in order highlighted possibly the sweetest Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets victory in two-plus seasons Monday. After leading the Lawson Lady Cardinals by 10 early in the second quarter and falling behind by 13 early in the fourth, the Lady Hornets pushed the pendulum back the other way hard behind a full-court press. Rallying all the way to a 49-47 lead with 1:25 to go in regulation time, they narrowly avoided a last-second loss and then won the overtime 9-4 and the game in the North Central Missouri College Holiday Shootout, 58-53. The triumph - CHS' second-straight in the event - squared the Lady Hornets' record at 3-3 heading into 2008 and equaled their win total of last season. In the extra half-period, Chillicothe shot a pair of air balls from close range, but grabbed another offensive rebound and Carole Myers drew the fifth foul from Lawson's top player, Jasmine Kassanavoid, as she went back up for another try. Myers hit both free throws and Chillicothe was in front to stay. Playing a key role, although it doesn't show statistically, in the long-odds CHS comeback was senior reserve guard Meghan Perry. She played virtually the entire fourth quarter and overtime, providing hustling, pesky defense inside and out despite her 5'4” stature and doing an excellent job of ball handling that helped both the transition game and half-court offense flow effectively. “She's been very solid the last several games,” CHS coach Karen Jackson saluted. “She handles the ball well, which gives us another guard we can work in there to try to keep the tempo up, and she always seems to have a hand in the face of shooters.” Hoops Lady Hornets
Swallow Bitter Pill C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Depending on how encyclopedic his memory is, Savannah basketball Lady Savages head coach Terry Hopkins might have had a flashback last night as his team visited the Chillicothe Lady Hornets. However, as is occasionally done in cinema in these days of DVDs, he and his club provided an alternate ending. Chillicothe sizzled the nets at a 54.5 percent clip from the floor, getting many a friendly roll or bounce off the rim for once, but the Lady Hornets' best team shooting performance since scorching Hopkins' SHS team at 61.5 percent in a 57-46 home win almost exactly four years earlier went for naught as Savannah fended off Chillicothe 50-41 at the CHS gym. “I told our kids to keep their heads up high,” coach Karen Jackson of the Lady Hornets remarked afterward. “They played a very good ballgame.” Adding to the Chillicothe heartbreak was that it also had one of its best defensive performances in recent memory fail to generate a victory. “I couldn't have been happier. Their first possession off the tip, it took them a couple of minutes to even figure out what we were in,” said Jackson, referring to her choice of using a 1-3-1 zone to try to combat Savannah's outside shooting. “We extended it well. We got out - we knew we had to cover their perimeter because they have such good shooters out there. I couldn't ask for a better job. They had their hands out. They were working hard. Our inside people were covering the middle.” The Lady Hornets put together one of their finest starts against a quality opponent in recent memory, functioning very efficiently on both ends of the court except for some defensive rebounding issues. Late Mistakes,
Misses Cost CHS C-T File Photo / Butch Shaffer
ST. JOSEPH - The odds were with the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets last night. Too bad the St. Joseph: Lafayette Lady Irish got their evens. After outscoring the visiting Lady Hornets 15-11 in the second quarter to get to within two points at halftime, the Lady Irish outscored Chillicothe 14-9 in the last stanza to win, 46-41. Chillicothe (1-2), having lost in its first game action in more than two weeks, will make it two games in two nights tonight when they make up their Dec. 11 postponement by welcoming tough Savannah to the CHS gym for a tripleheader tonight. The freshman action will tip things off at 5 p.m. Last night's game at Lafayette was there for Chillicothe's taking, but the Lady Hornets couldn't execute offensively down the stretch, hopefully just a by-product of their recent weather-forced inactivity from game play. After the Lady Irish had squared things at 32-all after three stanzas, Karen Jackson's CHS club took leads of 34-32 a couple of minutes into the last quarter when Morgan Quinn rebounded and stuck back Carole Myers' miss, 37-34 with about five minutes remaining when Holly Williams, Jackson's daughter, rattled in a trey, and finally 39-37 as Quinn was left open on a baseline in-bounds play and hit with about 31/2 minutes left. Lady Hornets Start,
Finish Fast, Gain First Triumph C-T File Photo / Butch Shaffer
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Chillicothe Hornets junior guard Tyler Trammell crosses under the basket for a first-period layup which began a 6-0 CHS spurt which gave the Hornets what would be their final lead of the 2007-08 season, 13-12 over the St. Joseph: Lafayette Fighting Irish last night. Lafayette beat the Hornets for a third time in three meetings, 81-50, in the quarterfinals of the Class 4 District 16 tournament which Lafayette is hosting.
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Chillicothe Hornets sophomore Bryce Young takes the ball up toward the basket for a shot
attempt during Friday's 52-46 loss at Cameron. Young did most of his damage in a 19-point performance from farther away, canning five of seven 3-point attempts. The loss gave the Hornets a 6-16 final regular-season record.
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Correy Miller, one of two seniors on the 2007-08 Chillicothe High School
basketball Hornets, slips to the basket for a left-handed layup to start the
second-half scoring and give CHS a 26-23 lead on Savannah Friday. Miller
finished with nine points and classmate Tyson Blattner seven as the Hornets
exceeded their 2006-07 win total beating the Savages 49-45. CHS now has a
6-14 record with two regular-season games remaining.
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Chillicothe junior forward Colin Parker gets his two easiest points of the first half Saturday night, hitting an uncontested shot for a 12-11 CHS lead after receiving a Bryce Young pass as the Hornets broke Kirksville press. Parker hit two other first-half shots while being fouled, both of which he turned into three-point plays, and hit two 3-point shots on his way to 19 points in Chillicothe's 52-51 victory.
CAPTION: During half-time of the Chillicothe High School boy's varsity game against Kirksville, the CHS dance team, with help from a few high school boys, performed for the crowd. The half-time entertainment also featured 60 members of the CHS Junior Dance Team, ages kindergarten through third grade, who practiced with the dance team from 1 to 3 p.m. earlier in the day in preparation for the night's event. The clinic was held in the Chillicothe Middle School Fieldhouse as a fundraiser for the dance team. All proceeds, minus expenses, were earmarked to help members pay for expenses related to costumes and other bills associated with the dance team.
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Chillicothe Hornets junior guard Tyler Tramell makes a spinning dishoff behind him past Smithville's Andrew Jones to set up a second-half basket for a teammate during last night's game in Chillicothe. Trammell had three assists, but Smithville rode Jones' 30 points on 14-of-19 shooting to a 76-44 runaway victory.
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Undaunted by the 8-inch height advantage of Kearney's Beau Brinkley (right), Chillicothe Hornets 5'9” sophomore guard Bryce Young takes the ball up strong in close during last night's first-round game in the Cameron Invitational tournament. Young made the shot while being fouled by Brinkley and converted the three-point play. Chillicothe outscored the top-seeded Bulldogs 53-52 over the final 20 minutes of the game, but still lost 80-66.
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Chillicothe sophomore guard Bryce Young goes up strong for an inside shot attempt against Maryville Friday. Young had a team-high 14 points, but Maryville got 23 from Andy Walter and won in Chillicothe, 57-43.
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The scoreboard tells the background story as Chillicothe's Colin Parker launches a half-court shot with plenty of time to spare at the end of the first half of last night's 64-50 victory at Trenton. Parker banked in the 40-foot shot that gave CHS a 36-20 intermission lead. He finished sharing the team scoring lead with 15 points.
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Alex Singleton of the Chillicothe Hornets can't find a way to score against a Cameron double-team last night. Singleton ended up tying for the team lead in scoring, but all eight of his points came in the last 75 seconds, by which time the Dragons already had wrapped up a 48-36 victory.
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Chillicothe junior reserve guard Jacob Rockhold gets free inside for a basket during the Hornets' 82-65 loss to St. Joseph: Benton last night in the Kearney “Bulldog Classic”
tournament.
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Correy Miller of the Chillicothe Hornets hit the game-winning shot in overtime Saturday at Savannah, driving the right baseline in the final 10 seconds of OT and making the short-range attempt that broke a 53-53 tie with only three seconds remaining.
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Chillicothe Hornets senior guard Tyler Trammell slips through the Platte County defense for a fourth-quarter layup last night, but it was much too little, much too late as Platte County held 65-50 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game by that time. The Pirates won 73-54.
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Chillicothe Hornets senior guard Tyson Blattner triggers from 15 feet out on the right side for the go-ahead basket 1:11 into the fourth quarter of Monday's 57-44 victory over Monroe City in the North Central Missouri College Holiday Shootout. Blattner shared team honors with 13 points.
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Chillicothe sophomore guard Bryce Young's slashing drive to the basket from the left wing results in a left-handed layup over Moberly's Denzell Hayes Monday night. The third-quarter bucket came in the middle of a 10-0 CHS run that cut Moberly's lead to 47-40 before the Spartans regained the momentum and eventually claimed a 79-55 victory.
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Colin Parker, 6'1” junior forward of the Chillicothe Hornets, prospered last night even though he spent much of the game against the Marshall Owls matched up offensively and defensively against 6'6” Nathan Cato (right). Parker scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a late third-quarter 3-pointer which gave CHS the lead for good, and also shared in the responsibility for guarding Cato and “limiting” him to 26 points.
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The top returning player for the 2007-08 Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets is sophomore guard Bryce Young. The team's leading scorer with a 10.1 points per game average in 2006-07 and its leader in steals, he'll be counted on to deliver at both ends of the court in the more-up-tempo style new coach Matt Brownsberger has installed.
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Chillicothe High School basketball fans had their first look at the 2007-08 CHS teams in game-like action Friday night when the school staged its annual “Late-Night Madness” intrasquad scrimmages at the middle school fieldhouse. Above, Hornets junior Alex Singleton passes off to a player in the left corner during a transition situation. Both CHS teams will play their season openers next week and both will play several games at the fieldhouse, rather than the CHS gym, this season, beginning with the Friday, Nov. 30, girls/boys varsity doubleheader against Macon. That will be the girls' season opener. The boys will visit St. Joseph: Benton Tuesday, Nov. 27.
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Chillicothe senior guard Holly Williams beats Savannah's Kate Gallagher to a loose ball on the floor during last night's Class 4 District 16 tournament quarterfinal game at St. Joseph. Although the Lady Hornets won this battle, Savannah handily won the “war,” shooting down Chillicothe 65-33 to end CHS' season with an 11-13 record.
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Chillicothe's Brooklyn Shearer reaches in to get a share of possession of a loose ball during the first half of last night's 47-33 Lady Hornets victory over Cameron in the final home game of the regular season. It was “Senior Night,” the last home game in the hoops careers of Shearer, Carole Myers (behind her), and five other Lady Hornets.
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The Chillicothe High School gymnasium was filled with noise and activity
Thursday night, February 14, during “Jam the Gym,” which coincided with Senior Night. During the evening, the senior basketball girls were recognized as were the senior members of the cheerleading squad, dance team, band members and their parents. The girls ended up beating Cameron 47-33. After the ball game, there was a three-point shooting contest for the students as well as a low goal slam dunk contest. The evening capped off with a Flight for Cash event, which featured students throwing paper airplanes for various prizes scattered on the gymnasium floor. Students also tried to throw their airplane into the trash can in the center of the gym floor to win $100. However, no one made it.
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Chillicothe Lady Hornets sophomore guard Leanne Mathew exemplifies the aggressive offensive approach the Lady Hornets took against St. Joseph: Lafayette last night, forcing her way between two LHS defenders. The aggressiveness worked as, with Mathew scoring 11 points and Holly Williams 13, CHS won at home, 43-29.
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Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets coach Karen Jackson,
right, and her players are trying to find out why the team's shooting touch
has deserted it of late. The team has precious little time to do so as the
district tournament looms next week.
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Chillicothe Lady Hornets 5'5” forward Mallory Lowe takes the ball to the basket against Cameron's 5'9” Sarah Hall during Friday's consolation game in the Cameron Invitational tournament. Lowe scored a career-best 12 points to help lead Chillicothe to a 42-36 victory.
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Chillicothe Lady Hornets senior Morgan Quinn hit three of the four shots she took from the field, including showing surprising range with an 18-footer late in the first half which game CHS an 11-point halftime lead, during yesterday's 52-38 victory over St. Joseph: Benton's junior-varsity in the Cameron tournament.
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Chillicothe Lady Hornets senior Carole Myers secures one of her five steals in the game from a Trenton Lady Bulldog during last night's action at Trenton. Making 31 steals among 34 THS turnovers, the Lady Hornets posted their third victory in a row and improved to 7-5 on the season with a 42-25 decision.
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Chillicothe High School's basketball Lady Hornets already have won twice as many games this season as last year's team
managed. Coach Karen Jackson (right) and her 2007-08 squad moved over the .500 mark for the second time this season Friday evening, defeating St. Joseph: Lafayette 58-49 in the consolation game of the Kearney “Bulldog Classic” tournament to raise their record to 6-5. The victory was Chillicothe's fifth in its last seven games with a good chance to make it six in eight when it visits Trenton tomorrow night.
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In a situation which recurred repeatedly, Chillicothe guard Leanne Mathew is about to be fouled by an Excelsior Springs player last night, this time while attempting a shot inside. Mathew didn't have a basket in the game, but still led all scorers by going 14 of 18 at the free-throw line as the Lady Hornets overcame an early 12-2 deficit to beat the Lady Tigers 46-35.
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Chillicothe Lady Hornets seniors Sara Mathew (14) and Morgan Quinn (13) battle for a second-half rebound while classmate Meghan Perry stands at the ready in case the ball deflects her way during last night's Kearney “Bulldog Classic” tournament first-round game against St. Joseph: Benton. The Lady Hornets, often easy fodder for the Lady Cardinals in the past few years, played last year's Class 4 state champions to a near-draw through almost three quarters before losing their offensive initiative and touch and lost 48-32. The second-straight defeat knocked the Lady Hornets back under the .500 mark at 4-5.
Platte County Lady Pirates defensively during Friday night's game. By consistently surrounding Johnson with two or three players, CHS held her to 15 points, but the rest of the Lady Pirates prospered as a result in a 62-48 PCHS win.
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Having split two defenders on the dribble, Chillicothe senior Carole Jo Myers prepares to grab the ball and go up for a short shot that would turn into a late-second-quarter three-point play and a 27-14 CHS lead last night. Myers finished with 14 points as the Lady Hornets defeated Kirksville 46-34.
the attempted defense of Lawson's Mallory Cureton during the Lady Hornets' 58-53 overtime win in the North Central Missouri College Holiday Shootout Monday. Mathew hit half of her field-goal tries and all four free throws, contributing 12 points and four steals to the win.
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Chillicothe senior Carole Myers goes up for an inside shot during last night's 50-41 loss to visiting Savannah. Myers hit five of her six shots from the floor and was one of three Lady Hornets to score 10 points each in the game. Chillicothe's record fell to 1-3.
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Chillicothe Lady Hornets senior guard/forward Holly Williams, seen driving during this season's game with Macon, had the first double-double of her career last night, scoring a team-high 11 points (same as Carole Myers) and grabbing 10 rebounds at St. Joseph: Lafayette. However, Chillicothe couldn't hold onto a 7-point third-quarter lead and dropped a 46-41 decision. The Lady Hornets will host Savannah tonight.
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Senior post player Morgan Quinn of the Chillicothe Lady Hornets, seen grabbing a rebound