Lady Hornets open district play with big win

Jan. 5—LUFKIN — After one of the best non-district results Huntsville girls' basketball has had in a while, head coach LaToya Bennett gave them another challenge.

Her squad headed to Lufkin — a place they haven't won in since 2021 — with the challenge to open the game on a 15-0 run. The Lady Hornets did that, plus a few more.

Huntsville held the Lady Pack scoreless for the entire first quarter as the Lady Hornets took a 25-0 lead after eight minutes. Lufkin scored its first basket at the 5:18 mark of the second frame.

Inevitably, the Lady Hornets snapped their two-game skid in Lufkin with a 57-19 victory over the Lady Pack as they start district play with a 1-0 record.

"I told the girls we needed to open with a 15-0 run. I was excited about the momentum and all the effort they gave," Bennett said. "It shows that what we did in the preseason was paying off."

Not every day does a team open district play with such a big quarter that got everybody buzzing. The Lady Hornets were sound on both ends of the court and forced turnovers as Lufkin struggled to move the ball.

The success gave Huntsville all the momentum and allowed everybody to get some time on the court.

Huntsville saw eight members score a basket in the game with four of them getting double digits.

"They were excited and our younger kids were ready to go in. Everybody wanted a piece of the action," Bennett said. "I was excited for the girls because that was a goal. Moving forward, as the level of play gets tougher, we will have to set attainable goals."

With a big lead, Huntsville hit the court in the second quarter with a chance to continue to press on the gas. That didn't happen.

The Lady Hornets were held without a point until the midway point of the second quarter. By the end of the eight minutes, Huntsville scored a fifth of the first quarter points and held a 30-5 lead after the break.

While the lead was still big, Huntsville needed to open the second half on point to make sure it didn't slip away.

"I think it was a little bit of anxiety and jitters coming out. The last two years were tough here," Bennett said. "I put a goal in front of them. I think the second quarter was a view of the last two years. The girls needed to calm down. In the third, Lufkin came out but Markia went right back at them."

As the game never got out of Huntsville's control, Bennet was able to see what she had from some of her depth on the bench. Specifically, Bennett saw freshman Oniyah Ledet get in the face of Lufkin's big Mariah Mays.

While the playoffs are still weeks away, seeing underclassmen do that is a big bonus for what is to come as Huntsville has nine games left.

"It prepares us for playoffs. It also gives me a view of who can do what down the stretch," Bennett said. "I thought they had a good player in Mays, but later in the game we put Oniyah Ledet out there and she was able to face-guard her."

This season for Huntsville has started to be a magical one. With senior leaders Markia Sweat, Ma'Halia Twine, A'Quarius Howard and Chelsea Butler taking charge on the court. Sweat has played a large role for this team as a forward and pairs extremely well with the others.

Twine finished against Lufkin with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, which led the Lady Hornets in both categories.

She was joined by sophomore Alyvionia Winn with nine rebounds, Butler with seven and Howard with five.

But with the success, Huntsville has to remain focused as the district season marches on and will continue to be the driving force to playoffs.

"I wanna us to keep the intensity. I don't want them to overlook tonight. I want it to be a driving force. I want us to set the lone at home against Kingwood Park. They are going to be hungry and want to get a win," Bennett said.

The Lady Hornets return to the Paul Bohan Gym for their district home opener on Tuesday with a matchup against Kingwood Park. Last year, the Lady Hornets swept K-Park in both games.

The game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. Jan. 9 and can be broadcast on the new hornetnation.info website or the 101.7 KSAM YouTube channel.