GALLERY: Hornell – 44, Canisteo-Greenwood – 55
From Hornell High School Athletics, photos by JC’s Photography
The Hornell Red Raiders hosted the Canisteo-Greenwood Chargers for a Canisteo Valley match-up Tuesday night.
A low-scoring first half had the Chargers up 18-12 going into the break. The Raiders closed the gap and were trailing by 3 going into the final quarter. The Chargers outscored the Raiders 21-13 to come out with the win.
Reflecting on the loss, Hornell coach Kirk Scholes said, “Overall, tonight was a gritty defensive battle. It was a great atmosphere for a high school basketball game.” The Hornell gymnasium was standing-room only with fans from both teams excitedly cheering on their respective team.
Scholes continued, “We have to raise our level of play if we want to win some of these big games. I know we can get there, but we are running out of time. We need to have more urgency to value the ball, get a good look, and compete for 32 minutes.
“We struggled against the zone finding enough quality looks. We settled for the jump shot a lot, and tonight we didn’t shoot the ball well, with the exception of Aaron [McInerney]. Aaron was the only one that had any rhythm tonight. He was hunting for his shot, and he was shot-ready when the ball came to him. We have to go back and spend more time against the zone. We didn’t look sharp, and the ball didn’t move crisply”
McInerney led all scorers with 20 points, including six 3. He also added 4 rebounds on the night.
Hornell’s Austyn Gollnitz had 9 points and 6 rebounds, and PJ Picco added 8 points and 5 assists in the losing effort.
Four players scored in double figures for the Chargers. Thomas Sirianni led his team with 17 points followed by Carson Chaffee (12), James Smith (10), and Dan Stillson (10).
Scholes had nothing but respect for the Chargers, commenting, “Credit to C-G; they had a good plan, and they competed. They came with the mindset to work. They earned the win today.”
The Red Raiders’ schedule doesn’t get any easier down the stretch. “Nobody is going to feel sorry for you,” said Scholes. “We need to get back to work and be ready to play Wellsville Friday night.”
Hornell will host the Wellsville Lions Friday.
