Jr. Hornets Compete In Whiteside Tournament
By Brent Huelsmann
The Nashville Middle School Jr. Hornets seventh grade basketball team began the season with the Whiteside 7th Grade Basketball Tournament. The tournament began on October 17 and featured four teams, in a round-robin style of play. The four teams in the tournament were Nashville, Pontiac, Emge and Whiteside. Emge won the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record. Nashville finished with a 2-1 record. Whiteside was 1-3 in the tournament and Pontiac was 0-3.
The Jr. Hornets began the tournament on October 17 with a 27-26 loss to Emge. Nashville held a 8-4 advantage after the first quarter, and held onto a three point advantage at halftime. After the break the teams traded buckets in the third quarter and went into the fourth with Nashville leading 19-16. In the fourth, Emge outscored Nashville 11-7 to take the win.
Bennett Briles led the way with eight points, followed by Trey Reinburg with seven points. Rylan Hammer and Aidan Heiman each scored four points, and Carson Cook scored three points in the loss.
The Jr. Hornets bounced back from their opening loss to defeat Whiteside 35-30 on October 18. Nashville took a 12-9 lead after one quarter and continued to lead throughout. The Jr. Hornets extended their lead to 22-14 at the break, but were outscored 8-5 in the third. In the final quarter, Nashville and Whiteside each scored eight points, giving the Jr. Hornets a five point win.
Briles again led the way with nine points, followed by Reinburg with eight points. Heiman scored six points, while Hammer and Quintin Loquasto each added five points. Kaden Gajewski scored two points in the win.
The Jr. Hornets seventh grade team got their second consecutive win to end the tournament as they defeated Pontiac 43-21. Nashville outscored Pontiac 11-4 in the first, and cruised from there. The Jr. Hornets led 22-7 at halftime, and led 34-16 after three. In the fourth Nashville outscored Pontiac 9-5 to win 43-21.
Briles led the way with 14 points, followed by Reinburg with 11 as the only two players in double figures for Nashville. Cook added five points, while Loquasto and JT Malawy added four points. Heiman and Emrick each scored two points, and Gajewski rounded out the scoring with one point.
