Hornets Hope to Continue Last Year’s Success

Unfortunately for the Hornets, their story didn’t have a happy ending. The game concluded on a missed three-pointer at the buzzer by the Hornets that would of tied it up, 63 apiece.

“We feel like there’s some unfinished business there, and as of right now, pre-season ranking wise, we feel that we’re the best team in the district, but that’s why you play the game. I could care less if we were 10-10 going into districts as long as we come away with the championship, and I think our team as a whole and everybody else knows that that is our goal,” said varsity head coach Jon Schaefer.

Now fast forward to the present. Hillcrest is ranked second among area schools by the Springfield News-Leader, and they’re surrounded by the most hype the team has had in quite a while, even though they lost four starters from last year’s squad, including three seniors.

“It’s going to be tough because we lost so many seniors, but we have guys that played a lot of minutes last year, and guys that played on the JV team that are veteran players,” said Schaefer.

The Hornets have two key additions this year that will bring experience along with them. Senior Mitch Jenkins, a 6’4” power forward who hasn’t seen action since his sophomore year, yet he will be a big body down low for Hillcrest; and senior Trey Starks, a highly regarded point guard who transferred from Glendale, but won’t be cleared to play until second semester.

“We have a really strong defense and fast break offensive tempo that will really keep teams off balance and a lot of capable scorers inside and out,” said senior team captain Taylor Sade.

Following up on a 21-6 record, and a share of the conference title won’t be easy, but it’s definitely something the Hornets have the sights set on.

“A lot of teams that haven’t been that good in the past have really upped their game this year, so that really pushes us to work much harder in order for us to defend our title,” said Sade.

The team is also getting a chance to prove itself against some of the best in the nation this year at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, a stage only a few Hornet teams in the past have gotten to play on.

“It’s definitely an honor. The guys get the opportunity to match up with some of the best teams and players in the country today, players that the can watch on TV next year playing for Duke, North Carolina, or Kansas. It will also be a great experience for each one of our players. Not everyone can say they’ve played in a tournament this big,” said Schaefer.

Hillcrest came out of the gate fast and held on to beat the Bolivar Liberators 57-52 in the opening game of the season December 8.  Senior Taylor Sade poured in 24 points to lead the Hornets.