This past Friday, January 25, the Lyndon Hornets hosted two North Atlantic Conference matches against the University of Maine – Presque Isle Owls. Both the women’s and men’s teams had strong showings in the evening, but only the women were able to come out on top.The night started with the men’s game at 5:30. The Hornets won the tip-off, but both teams had a strong defensive showing. It was not until one minute into the contest that Lyndon freshman Rian Hayman-Jones (34) scored the first points of the game. University of Maine – Presque Isle sophomore Shyquinn Dix (10) was quick to follow it up with his own basket. This is how the majority of the first half went, Presque Isle slowly pulling ahead with their 3-point shots. Lyndon was able to keep the score gap to a minimum with many successful foul shots.
As the half went on, the crowd grew bigger and louder. Fans were in awe at what was happening on the court, from the numerous fouls to the quick passes to the nearly impossible shots. Motivated off this new energy, Lyndon sophomore Ricky Shuford (0) made the final basket of the half with five seconds remaining on the clock. The score stood at 37-53 favoring the visiting Owls as both teams took a short break for halftime.
The second half began with Shuford (0) dunking the ball for 2-points. Once again, the back and forth match began between the Hornets and the Owls. Presque Isle junior Wilburn Griffiths (3) and sophomore Taqwaun Smith (10) worked together to pull ahead a little more. However, Lyndon freshman Zach Falkenburg (4) would not give them the satisfaction of a “blowout.” When the score read 62-82, Falkenburg (4) rallied his team to close the gap. After many baskets from many players, they were able to close the gap to 72-82. However, Griffiths (3) gained control of the ball and secured the win for the Owls with a final score of 75-94. With this loss, the Hornet’s record stands at 2-17, their North Atlantic Conference record falling to 0-8. The male Hornets stand in eighth place in the NAC.
Falkenburg (4) scored 23 points throughout the game–almost one third of Lyndon’s final score! This was his third best showing of his first season as a Lyndon Hornet thus far! Along with Falkenburg was a strong defensive performance by freshman Kyle Cary (22) who got the most rebounds of the game, allowing his teammates to score as much as they did. Cary is responsible for eight rebounds.
The women’s game followed the first Hornet loss at 7:30. Both the Hornets and Owls had smaller teams than the men before them, but their contest was just as grand. The tip-off was won by the Hornets, but quickly stolen by the Owls. However, it was Lyndon sophomore Alisha Celley (24) that scored the first points over one minute into the matchup. She and Lyndon junior Alissa Mitchell (11) quickly scored to bring the score to 6-0. The Hornets were able to shut out the Owls for almost four whole minutes. After entering the court, it was Presque Isle junior Laura Aroz (44) who broke the streak.
Within the first five minutes of the quarter, every single Hornet starter had scored. This strong performance allowed the team to nearly triple their opponent’s score by the sound of the clock. The second quarter began with a similarly strong performance, Lyndon freshman Tayler Courchesne (15) coming out of the gate fast and scoring.
Later, Lyndon freshman Ashlynn Bardos (22) scored off of a foul shot, doubling their score once again. It was also at this mark that every single female Hornet player that stepped onto the court scored for the team.
The third and fourth quarters went by very quickly. With Owl Aroz (44) fouling out of the game, the Hornets were able to keep their lead for the final minutes. The game ended after Presque Isle scored two more baskets, but that was not enough to get the win. The final score was 76-49 in favor of your Lyndon Hornets.
Lyndon sophomore Faith Poirier (5) scored the most points for the team during this contest at 17 points. Celley (24) grabbed seven rebounds, allowing the Hornet victory to be as successful as it was. Together, the Hornets brought their season record to 10-3, and their North Atlantic Conference record to 5-3. The female Hornets stand in third place in the NAC bracket with this win.