The Lady Hornets fell this past weekend to Fort Hays State University, losing by a mere three points.  This ended their MIAA playoff run and their season as a whole as they were defeated, 57-54 as they put up a hard fight in the quarterfinals.

The Lady Hornets were matched up against the Fort Hays State Tigers on this Friday, March 1.  They played their second game on path to the MIAA Championships, the quarterfinals in Kansas City.

“The season didn’t end like we wanted, said Jessica Wayne, sophomore guard, “But we definitely grew as a team.  All the adversity we had to overcome this season will only make us stronger, mentally and physically for next season.”

The Lady Hornets got off to a great start as they took the lead, 10-3, just 3 minutes into the game. They continued on this lead throughout the period as they lead by six with just 4:22 left in the period. The lady Tigers, however, would not give up easily as they went on a 6-0 scoring run. They closed the gap to 16-15, the Hornets keeping their lead going into quarter two of the game.

The second quarter was a bit of a rough patch for the Lady Hornets as the Tigers went on a scoring streak, leaving the Hornets in a devastating hole as they scored the first five points of the quarter and continued to lead throughout the entirety of the quarter.  The Hornets substantially lessened the gap, however, allowing the Tigers a small lead of four points, 30-26 at the conclusion of the first half.

The Hornets took another single point lead, 33-32 in the third quarter with 6:26 left.  The battle continued as the score changed multiple times in this quarter, the Hornets continued their lead as they were up, 42-37 going into the fourth quarter with a substantial lead.

“This season was a little different from years past because of several key injuries we suffered during the preseason that started off our year a little shaky.” said Jacee Kramer, senior guard, “We had a lot of young players and players that didn’t have much game experience. I think we had a solid year and I know our younger players grew a lot over the course of the season. We grew and got better in a lot of ways and won some big games.”

Emporia State continued to work to advance in the MIAA Playoffs as the game came down to free throw shooting.  The score changed multiple times in continuation of the fourth quarter. With every effort the Hornets tried to gain the lead, however, they could not follow through as they lost the game, 57-54, ending their 2018 season.