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The Huntland High School Lady Hornets beat the Gordonsville Tigerettes 56-53 at Richland Thursday in the seventh-place game for the Richland Christmas Classic.

Playing without multiple starters for the entire tournament due to injuries, the Lady Hornets ended the event on a high note as they rallied from a late deficit to pick up a hard-fought victory.

The score was close throughout the opening period, and the teams were tied at 12-12 when the quarter came to an end. Yareli Avalos scored seven of Huntland’s points in the first quarter.

After falling behind by five points early in the second quarter, the Lady Hornets ended the half on an 12-4 run to jump ahead.

They led 26-23 at halftime.

The teams continued to trade baskets in the third quarter as the Lady Hornets entered the fourth quarter with a slight advantage.

They led 38-36 after three quarters.

The Lady Hornets briefly pulled ahead by six points early in the fourth quarter before a run of nine straight points by the Tigerettes gave Gordonsville a 45-42 lead with about four minutes left.

Facing a five-point deficit with 90 seconds remaining, the Lady Hornets cut the lead down to a single point on a free throw by Morgan Sanders and a 3-point play by Logan McLennan.

The Lady Hornets then took a 54-53 lead with about 15 seconds left after McLennan drove to the basket and hit a go-ahead layup in traffic.

Bailey Morris added two free throws with 3.4 seconds on the clock after a scoreless possession by the Tigerettes, and Kinsley Kilpatrick intercepted the ensuing inbounds pass at the half-court line to seal the comeback victory.

McLennan led the Lady Hornets with 19 points for the game, followed by Maddie Burks and Avalos with 14 points each.

Kilpatrick scored four points, Sanders scored three and Morris scored two.

With the win, the Lady Hornets improved to 12-7 on the season.

New Hope, 65, Lady Hornets 58

The Lady Hornets lost to the New Hope Lady Indians 65-58 at Richland Wednesday in a consolation semifinal game for the Richland Christmas Classic.

The Lady Hornets fell behind by double-digits in the first half with a late rally coming up a few baskets short in their second game for the tournament.

The Lady Indians ended the opening period on an 18-4 run to put the Lady Hornets in a decent hole early. Avalos scored five of Huntland’s eight points in the first quarter.

Huntland trailed 24-8 after one quarter.

The Lady Indians briefly brought the deficit up to more than 20 points in the second quarter before the Lady Hornets were able to make up some ground later in the half.

The Lady Hornets trailed 33-18 at halftime.

The Lady Hornets found their offensive rhythm in the third quarter as they opened the period with a 15-4 run to make it a two-possession game before New Hope added a few points back to the deficit. McLennan scored 10 of Huntland’s 17 points in the third quarter.

Huntland trailed 42-35 going into the final period.

The Lady Hornets slowly chipped away at the deficit throughout the fourth quarter and tied the score at 55-55 with 1:11 remaining on a pair of free throws by Kilpatrick.

However, the Lady Indians hit a 3-pointer with about 45 seconds left to retake the lead and would go on to ice the game with a series of steals and fast-break layups as the Lady Hornets lost by seven.

McLennan led the Lady Hornets with 28 points for the game, followed by Avalos with 17 points and Sanders with nine.

Kilpatrick and Burks scored two points each.

With the loss, the Lady Hornets moved to 11-7 on the season.

Summertown 79, Lady Hornets 26 

The Lady Hornets lost to the Summertown Lady Eagles 79-26 at Richland Tuesday in a first-round game for the Richland Christmas Classic.

The Lady Hornets struggled to score for most of the day while the Lady Eagles lit up the scoreboard with a barrage of 3-pointers to give Huntland a blowout loss.

The Lady Eagles established firm control of the scoreboard early with a 24-2 run to end the opening period.

The Lady Hornets trailed 33-6 after one quarter.

The second quarter would be a slight improvement for the Lady Hornets in terms of points allowed, but the deficit still rose to more than 30 points.

They trailed 45-11 at halftime.

The Lady Eagles scored the first 14 points of the second half as they continued to dominate the contest on both sides of the court.

Huntland trailed 63-20 going into the final period.

The Lady Hornets wouldn’t be able to mount any sort of rally against the gigantic deficit as they went on to lose by a final margin of 53 points.

McLennan and Avalos led the Lady Hornets with seven points each for the game, followed by Sanders with four points.

Jacey Riley, Riley Maxwell, Burks and Morris scored two points each.

With the loss, the Lady Hornets moved to 11-6 on the season.

They will next play Friday at home against Cornersville High School. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.