OROVILLE – It was rough going for Liberty Bell when the Lions came down the mountain and the Hornets treated the visitors to a 71 to 31 defeat, Tuesday, Jan. 26.
“We played a great team game and dominated all parts of the game. We played good defense, attacked the basket and ran our fast break well. We were 13-18 from the free throw line which shows our aggressiveness on offense,” said Hornet Head Coach Carl Iverson.
Oroville jumped ahead in the first quarter by eight, continuing to push the score up in the second and heading into the locker rooms with a 44 to 19 lead. Liberty Bell did a better job in the third quarter which ended with Oroville up by thirty points, 55 to 25. The Hornets outscored the Lions in the fourth quarter as well, 16 to six to secure a 40-point victory.
Doug Funston, a consistant high-point producer for the Hornets finished with 18 points, while fresham Michael Garrett had 17. Preston Iverson made 10 points, followed by Blaine Wagner with nine, Connor Hughes with eight, Charlie DeMartino with five and Zac Speiker with four.
“Garrett, one of our two freshman hit three treys and is starting to play real well. I have said all along, if our freshman can hit some treys, we are a much better team,” said Iverson.
The Hornets made the long journey to Soap Lake to take on the Eagles in their nest on Friday, Jan. 29 and came home with a 75 to 66 victory.
In what started as a close game Oroville trailed by three in the first quarter only to reverse the scoring in the second and tie it up at the half. The Hornets continued to outshoot the Eagles and took a four point lead in the third quarter and outshot Soap Lake by another five to finish with a nine point cushion over SL.
Funston, a senior, was top scorer with 32 points, followed by Hughes with 13; Wagner, nine; Garrett, eight; DeMartino, six; Iverson, five and Speiker, two.
“This was a total team effort and a big win for us. Our guards shot well, 10 treys, Speiker, DeMartino and Wagner rebounded great and Preston broke down the defense and created open shots for the whole team. Our guards shot well — ten treys. Speiker, DeMartino and Wagner rebounded great and Preston broked down the defense and greated open shots for the whole team.”
The coach said his team still has to shoot better free throws if they want to finish close games. They were 15 for 31 attemps from the FT line against the Eagles, who was 17-1 at their gym in the last 18 games until the Hornets beat them.
“This win puts us in a second place tie with Entiat and Manson in first. We host Entiat this Friday here and then travel to Waterville Saturday,” said Iverson.
