Hornell powers past Livonia with big third quarter, moves on to Section V semifinals
Top-seeded Hornell got key contributions up and down the lineup and held off a challenge from No. 8 Livonia with a big third quarter, powering into the Section V, Class B semifinals with a 61-53 home win over the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon.
Hoping to score the upset of their Livingston County league rivals, Livonia ended the first half with a flurry and trailed by just one at the break, 32-31.
Hornell answered the challenge.
The Red Raiders came out of the locker room and outscored Livonia 18-5 in the third quarter, sparked by sophomore guard Mia Nasca.
"We regrouped at halftime and came out locked in defensively holding Livonia to just five points in the third quarter. During that time Mia Nasca came into the game and gave us a huge spark, knocking down two threes and throwing a great assist to Raegan Evingham," said Hornell head coach Jim Dagon. "With a couple of our starters in foul trouble Mia came in very clutch for us right when we needed it."
Hornell built a 16-7 lead after the first quarter before the Bulldogs heated up in the second.
"We started the game well tonight, setting the tone on defense," said Dagon. "In the second quarter Livonia executed offensively very well and we got kind of complacent. I felt like we got too comfortable with the lead we had built and we just tried to outscore them instead of focusing on getting stops."
Raegan Evingham led Hornell with 19 points, while Payton Bentley had 15. Selena Maldonado also cracked double-figures with 11 points.
Nasca and Jordyn Dyring both chipped in six, and Lillian Hoyt added four to the cause.
"Raegan Evingham, Payton Bentley and Selena Maldonado led the way for us in the scoring column on a day where the Livonia defense made it tough for us to find good looks," said Dagon. "Jordyn Dyring and Lillian Hoyt also made me extremely proud on a night where they couldn’t get as much going offensively as they are accustomed to. Both Dyring and Hoyt did the dirty work all night playing great defense, collecting loose balls and rebounds.
"They found a way to make their minutes extremely valuable without doing a ton of scoring and it shows their willingness to do whatever it takes to get a win."
Hornell (18-3) advances to Wednesday's semifinal round at Honeoye Falls-Lima. The Red Raiders will take on No. 5 Wellsville at 7:45 p.m. Hornell won the regular season meeting, 62-40.
No. 2 Dansville and No. 3 Mynderse play in the early game at 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Hornell gets by Livonia, moves on to Section V semifinals
