THE Horsham Lady Hornets started its season off with a comprehensive win against the Stawell Wildcats in the Country Basketball League on Sunday.
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The Lady Hornets players were strong out of the gates, bringing their all to the court on the back of the team’s 2015-16 premiership win.
New recruits did not hold back as the team toppled the Wildcats 119-31. The Stawell side struggled to find the necessary depth to keep up.
Coach Gareth Hiscock said his side was even stronger than he imagined.
“It was a little bit disappointing to be so one-sided,” he said.
“We were a lot better than I thought we would be.
“I thought we would be a bit rusty but they started strongly right from the word go.”
Hiscock said it was hard to find points of improvements as his team performed incredibly well.
“We ran the ball quickly and moved a lot. There honestly wasn’t a lot we did wrong,” he said.
“We played really well and are now looking forward to a strong season.
“I would normally try and find areas to improve on.
“For the first game in eight months it was a slick effort.”
Georgia Hiscock was the team’s top scorer, with 47 points on the board.
Former Ballarat Rush player Sophie Alexander lived up to her reputation, with 18 points for the side.
“It was a great effort by all,” Hiscock said.
“Sophie had more than 20 assists on the ball, which is just outstanding.”
Grace Bibby was the top scorer for the Wildcats with 10 points, but it was not enough to keep up with the Lady Hornets’ lightning pace.
Hiscock said the Wildcats stuck at it, right up until the final whistle.
“Stawell was struggling a bit and falling under,” he said.
“All credit to them though, they really stuck at it.
“We know they are struggling for depth but I am sure they are going to get through the season as best as they can.”
The Lady Hornets had its standouts but the team was healthy across the board in its first competition game.
While the Hornets had a number of unavailable outs and one injury in Sharon Fedke, the team stood tall.
Georgie Carberry managed 13 points while Ema Iredell and Jedda Heard both put up 12 for the side.
Caitlin Story did not disappoint in her comeback game, scoring the first point of the game and finishing with 11 points.
Key contributor Ella Bibby put up 10 points.
Alexandra Brack contributed with some key opening points and a total of eight for the game.
Hayley Ellis also finished with eight points.
While a strong start was a positive for the Lady Hornets, Hiscock said he was already looking forward to next week’s challenge against the Corio Bay Stingrays in Geelong.
The Horsham Hornets were comfortably leading against the Stawell Wildcats in the men’s division at time of publication.