Hornets Close out the Basketball Season
By: Shelia Mader
The Cottondale Hornets’ basketball season came to a close last week, wrapping up what was an impressive 19-5 campaign. After finishing the regular season with a 17-4 record, the Hornets entered the postseason with high hopes of making a deep playoff run.
Cottondale opened the playoffs with a strong showing against the Altha Wildcats, pulling away for a 64-50 victory to advance to the next round. The Hornets controlled the pace for most of the night, winning three of the four quarters to secure the win. Cottondale jumped out to a 19-15 lead after the first quarter and turned up the pressure in the second, outscoring Altha 23-17 to take a 42-32 advantage into halftime. The Wildcats trimmed the margin slightly in the third quarter, but the Hornets slammed the door in the final period, holding Altha to just six points while adding 14 of their own.
Kamarion Kirkland led the Hornets with 17 points and six rebounds, while Trashonn Collins followed with 13 points and dished out seven assists in the win.
That victory set up a matchup with the Blountstown Tigers, who proved to be a tough hurdle for Cottondale. The Hornets came out firing, racing to a 17-4 lead in the opening quarter. Blountstown responded in a big way in the second quarter, swinging the momentum with a 22-6 run. The Tigers stayed hot after halftime, outscoring Cottondale 27-10 in the third quarter to take control of the game. Despite a competitive fourth quarter, Blountstown closed out the 75-54 win, ending the Hornets’ season.
Even with the playoff loss, Cottondale’s season stands as a memorable one. The Hornets put together a banner year and are set to lose just two players to graduation. With much of the roster returning, the future looks bright for Hornets basketball.
