Hornets hold off Richland in regional quarterfinals
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The Huntland High School Hornets beat the Richland Raiders 69-63 on the road Saturday in a quarterfinal game for the Region 5A tournament.
The Hornets took a lead midway through the second quarter and wouldn’t trail for the rest of the night as they held off the hosting Raiders to move on the regional semifinals.
The Raiders ended the opening period with eight straight points to build up an early lead in the contest.
Huntland trailed 14-8 after one quarter.
The Hornets answered back with a 12-1 run to start the second quarter as they flipped the scoreboard in their favor.
The score would be tied a few times later in the second quarter before the Hornets pulled back ahead and took a 31-27 lead into halftime. Braylen Phillips scored 15 of Huntland’s 23 points in the second quarter.
The Hornets briefly opened up a double-digit lead midway through the third quarter before the Raiders rallied back to make it a one-possession game.
Huntland led 48-46 going into the final period.
The Raiders scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to tie the score at 48-48, but the Hornets quickly retook the lead on a shot by Phillips.
The Hornets maintained a steady advantage the rest of the way and iced the game with free throws in the final minute as they won by six. Phillips scored 12 of Huntland’s 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Phillips led the Hornets with 39 points for the game, followed by Lashawn Kimmons and Trace Kilpatrick with eight points each.
Eli Wiggs and Zeier Golden scored six points each, and Kannon Lafevers scored two points.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 16-14 on the season.
They will next play Tuesday against Fayetteville City High School at Cornersville in a semifinal game for the Region 5A tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

