Offensive struggled end Lady Hornets season in area round

Feb. 15—ENNIS — In a rematch of last year's area round, Huntsville girls' basketball was looking for a similar outcome to last year's meeting.

After a bit of an offensive push last year, defense prevailed in this year's meeting as neither team cracked 40 points despite averaging over 50 points per game.

But when the final buzzer went off, Princeton found themselves up 36-26 after a 17-point fourth quarter gave them the lead in the final frame.

"I thought we made too many mistakes in the second half. We missed opportunities under the basket and many shots didn't fall. I thought Ma'Halia Twine was in her head a little bit and when your top dog isn't locked in during a high-pressure game like this — it's tough," Huntsville head coach LaToya Bennett said. "Princeton was a tough game last year so it was going to be the best team that finished strong. We had a couple of breakdowns late that cost us late."

Going into the final quarter, Huntsville was clinging to a two-point lead, as they had for the majority of the game. But for the first three quarters, things felt off.

The big four for the Lady Hornets struggled to hit shots from nearly every spot on the court and no matter how many opportunities they had the ball bounced around the rim and never fell in. After the first, Huntsville saw themselves down by four points.

But the second quarter gave Huntsville hope. The Lady Hornets passed the ball around and had four members go for eight points while the Lady Panthers were held to two free throws in the entire eight minutes.

Huntsville took a 13-11 lead into the break which gave them a bunch of energy and an opportunity to stay ahead for the remainder of the game.

One crazy thing about the Lady Hornets squad is the inconsistency of experience on the roster. Huntsville has four seniors that all started but the bench faced freshmen and sophomores with minimal experience.

Freshman Aariyah Willis was one of those members who was called up and got some experience this season but her youthfulness when matched up with a junior showed. Willis was on Princeton junior Terrayah McCoy, who went for a game-high 21 points.

"The girls' energy was high but I think our young girls missed some assignments, especially on Terrayah McCoy," Bennett said. "We had Aariyah on her and she just kind of missed her. That was one of the breakdowns right there."

Unfortunately for the Lady Hornets, their season came to a close after having high hopes for a deep playoff run with a core of seniors who have been on the team since their freshman season and have been key players.

Huntsville watched seniors Markia Sweat, Ma'Halia Twine, A'Quarius Howard and Chelsea Butler play their last game in the green and white. Sweat, Twine and Howard have been four-year varsity members and have seen district titles in all four years at Huntsville.

Twine scored her 1,000 career points during the season and has been a key leader for the last two years. But even with the experience, Twine led the Lady Hornets with eight points, seven rebounds and two steals in the final game.

Sweat finished with five points and a crucial three-pointer in the third quarter for Huntsville.

Howard was the third senior that had been a member all four years and she rounded out her career with two points and two rebounds in the game.

"They mean the world to me. I hate this moment because I wish it would have happened much later. Sometimes intangible things happen when you have to put young players on the floor," Bennett said.

With the loss, Huntsville faces the task all but one team will in Class 5A — ending the season with a loss earlier than anybody wanted it to. But now the Lady Hornets head into the offseason with a chance to continue to develop underclassmen.