The Heritage Christian girls’ basketball team rebounded from a loss to Glasgow Christian Academy last time out, drilling visiting Cornerstone Christian Academy 66-17 on Monday night. The match-up with the Bulldogs was a play-in game for the KCAA State Tournament to be played at Asbury University March 1-3. With the win, the Lady Warriors improve to 17-2 on the year, while Cornerstone Christian falls to 1-13.
If there were any lingering effects from having their thirteen-game win streak snapped on Saturday, the Lady Warriors quickly dismissed them, jumping out to a 15-0 lead after a rebound and putback by freshman Kinley Deason. A Cornerstone basket stopped the HCA run, but they never broke stride and led 27-2 after the first quarter.
Cornerstone settled in somewhat in the second frame, but the Lady Warriors still outscored them 15-7 to take a 42-9 lead into halftime. Senior Rachel West led HCA in scoring with 14, followed by junior Chelsea Dortch with 11. For the Bulldogs, Alexa Robertson scored 5.
The Lady Warriors continued to stifle Cornerstone with full-court pressure, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the third quarter. HCA added 12 points, with West tossing in 6, to push the lead to 54-9 with one quarter to play. With the game in hand, the Lady Warrior starters were given the opportunity to cheer on their teammates, and behind 6 fourth-quarter points from sophomore Ashton Craft they outscored the Bulldogs 12-8 to win 66-17.
West led all scorers with 22, followed by Dortch with 11. Deason finished with 8, freshman Abbi Bullock scored 7, and Craft had 6. Sophomore Meredith Crunk scored 4, while junior Kayley Wadlington, 8th grader Kaitlyn Kaetzel, senior Hope Flournoy, and sophomore Logan Gibson each had a basket. Robertson was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 10.
Next up for the Lady Warriors is a trip to the KCAA State Tournament to be played at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY. HCA starts play on Thursday, with the semifinals and final to be played on Saturday.
