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After a frustrating first half of the 2011-’12 campaign...a half in which they managed just two Lackawanna League wins...the Hornets are suddenly surging.
This weekend, the Red & Black served notice on the rest of the league that they are ready to challenge for a Division One title.
On Friday night, the Hornets rallied to deal perennial powerhouse Abington Heights a stunning 51-50 loss at the Red Palace. Less than 24 hours later, Coach Tim Wood’s lads were back on the court for a battle with archrival Wallenpaupack Area.
The Hornets dominated this rare Saturday afternoon game, building a lead that ballooned to as many as 20 points early in the fourth quarter.
The Buckhorns whittled that deficit down to single digits after both teams subbed in their JVs for the final minutes, but the result was still a rousing 57-48 Hornet triumph.
“Seriously: this is the biggest win of my career so far," Hornet forward Jesse O'Connell told TWI Sports in a jubilant lockerroom just moments after the big win over Abington.
"I think this is going to let some people out there know that we can play with anybody. Scranton, Abington Heights...anybody."
Next on the agenda for the Red & Black is a Tuesday night road trip to the Electric City and a battle with West Scranton. That game is set to tip-off at 7:15 p.m.
Comets Crushed
Honesdale went toe-to-toe with Abington Friday , but still trailed by four points heading into the final stanza.
Nevertheless, the Hornets kept their cool and made all the big plays at the crucial moments.
Jordan Meyer calmly canned a pair of free throws with less than 40 seconds left in regulation to seal the deal. But, it was O’Connell who led the charge. Jesse finished the night with 20 points...including four long treys that left the Comets reeling. He was aided & abetted by teammates Meyer (15 pts) and Kevin Miller (9 pts).
“Jesse played an outstanding all-round game and that's the kind of thing we want to see from him," said Coach Wood. "I'm very happy for Jesse. Every single kid on the team played a role tonight, but he was the difference.”
Defensively, Chris Nagel proved to be the Hornets’ stopper in both games
A tough-as-nails junior, Nagel had the unenviable task of guarding Abington's JC Show Friday and Brown on Saturday. He responded with back-to-back stellar performances.
"Chris is a pleasure to coach," Wood said. "If we didn't have Chris Nagel’s shutdown defense, we'd be hard-pressed to win either of these last two games."
Against Paupack, Nagel augmented his defensive heroics with a flurry of perimeter bombs. Chris dialed up four long-distance treys and finished up the night with 14 points.
Meyer muscled his way to nine, while Kyle Carney and Kevin Miller added four points apiece.
Score by Quarters...
HON (9-7) 14 16 19 8 - 45
WAL (7-9) 8 8 12 20 - 43
After a frustrating first half of the 2011-’12 campaign...a half in which they managed just two Lackawanna League wins...the Hornets are suddenly surging.
This weekend, the Red & Black served notice on the rest of the league that they are ready to challenge for a Division One title.
On Friday night, the Hornets rallied to deal perennial powerhouse Abington Heights a stunning 51-50 loss at the Red Palace. Less than 24 hours later, Coach Tim Wood’s lads were back on the court for a battle with archrival Wallenpaupack Area.
The Hornets dominated this rare Saturday afternoon game, building a lead that ballooned to as many as 20 points early in the fourth quarter.
The Buckhorns whittled that deficit down to single digits after both teams subbed in their JVs for the final minutes, but the result was still a rousing 57-48 Hornet triumph.
“Seriously: this is the biggest win of my career so far," Hornet forward Jesse O'Connell told TWI Sports in a jubilant lockerroom just moments after the big win over Abington.
"I think this is going to let some people out there know that we can play with anybody. Scranton, Abington Heights...anybody."
Next on the agenda for the Red & Black is a Tuesday night road trip to the Electric City and a battle with West Scranton. That game is set to tip-off at 7:15 p.m.
Comets Crushed
Honesdale went toe-to-toe with Abington Friday , but still trailed by four points heading into the final stanza.
Nevertheless, the Hornets kept their cool and made all the big plays at the crucial moments.
Jordan Meyer calmly canned a pair of free throws with less than 40 seconds left in regulation to seal the deal. But, it was O’Connell who led the charge. Jesse finished the night with 20 points...including four long treys that left the Comets reeling. He was aided & abetted by teammates Meyer (15 pts) and Kevin Miller (9 pts).
“Jesse played an outstanding all-round game and that's the kind of thing we want to see from him," said Coach Wood. "I'm very happy for Jesse. Every single kid on the team played a role tonight, but he was the difference.”
Defensively, Chris Nagel proved to be the Hornets’ stopper in both games
A tough-as-nails junior, Nagel had the unenviable task of guarding Abington's JC Show Friday and Brown on Saturday. He responded with back-to-back stellar performances.
"Chris is a pleasure to coach," Wood said. "If we didn't have Chris Nagel’s shutdown defense, we'd be hard-pressed to win either of these last two games."
Against Paupack, Nagel augmented his defensive heroics with a flurry of perimeter bombs. Chris dialed up four long-distance treys and finished up the night with 14 points.
Meyer muscled his way to nine, while Kyle Carney and Kevin Miller added four points apiece.
Score by Quarters...
HON (9-7) 14 16 19 8 - 45
WAL (7-9) 8 8 12 20 - 43
