Senath-Hornersville holds off Risco in 83-80 homecoming victory

Senath-Hornersville (9-5) is on a five-game winning streak after hosting Risco (6-7) for the Lions’ intensely close homecoming game Friday night.

Three of those five wins have come in the last week, all of which have come down to a combined six points.

“We knew it would be a battle,” Senath-Hornersville head coach Kurt Penn said. “Risco can shoot the ball really well. Hats off to Coach Blankenship because he always has his team looking good. They had a great game plan and gave us a fight on homecoming – luckily we found a way to win.”

“We always like to be in close games, and maybe that’s made us better down the stretch to find ways to win these close games, but that was a battle,” Penn continued. “It was a fun one to watch.”

Senath-Hornersville and Risco tied 18-18 ending the first quarter, and the Lions led by just two points at halftime with 10 points scored by junior powerhouse Amador Luna and six points by Spencer Goff. Risco’s Eli Rodgers put back nine points on his own in the second quarter to narrow the gap and leave the matchup anyone’s to claim.

Risco’s CJ Blankenship threw in a 2-point jump shot and tied the game once again at 43-43 on the first scoring play of the second half. A 3-point play by Owen Fortner gave the Tigers a two-point advantage, and after more back-and-forth, another 3-point shot by Reiley Calvert tied the game 54-54.

After Senath-Hornersville’s Luna put in two free throws and a layup, in addition to a final 2-point play by Spencer Goff, the Lions took a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Jaxon Layne put in a layup to open the final quarter of play, and after Risco’s Fortner contributed two more points, the Lions’ Rico Gonzalez drained a 3-point shot drawing an eruption from the crowd, a called timeout, and ultimately a four point lead as the Lions looked to widen the gap.

Their advantage wouldn’t last long, however, as Risco went on a run kickstarted by a layup put in by Layden Kellum. Calvert tossed up his own layup just before knocking back a 3-pointer to take a 72-69 lead with 3:30 remaining.

“It’s tough,” Penn said. “You want to get some stops and score a couple. You want to go on a run and put the game away, but every time we pulled away, Risco hit some big shots to keep it close. Once we stop getting stops, we want to go into our sets and slow down to look for certain pieces at certain times.”

Senath-Hornersville’s Pookie Garza put in two free throws to tie 75-75 and pull ahead with just over one minute left, and Rico Gonzalez put in another 3-point shot to strengthen the lead. Risco’s Calvert put in two layups to cut their deficit to two points with 10 seconds left.

Senath-Hornersville’s Goff and Layne both put in two more free throws as seconds dwindled to seal the deal and win 83-80.

“I think it was just two good teams playing their guts out,” Risco head coach Brandon Blankenship said. “It was close like that the entire way. I’m proud of our guys and I know Coach Penn is proud of his guys. It was a battle and it’s fun to be a part of games like that, win or lose.”

Risco�s Eli Rodgers attempts a jump shot in Friday night�s game against Senath-Hornersville. Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

“Defensively, we never like to give up 80+ points, but I thought our guys battled,” Blankenship continued. “Hats off to Senath, because they made shots and made plays that were big, and they hit their free throws down the stretch.”

Amador Luna led the Lions in scoring with 21 points, followed by Jaxon Layne with 18, Spencer Goff with 17, Mason Williams with 10, Rico Gonzalez with nine and Pookie Garza with eight.

Sammy Smith paced Risco with 17 points, followed by Eli Rodgers with 15, Owen Fortner and Reiley Calvert with 14 each, CJ Blankenship with 10, Ayden Denson with six and Layden Kellum with four.

Senath-Hornersville also narrowly won junior varsity play 49-47.

Most recently before Friday night’s contest, Senath-Hornersville won a stunning knockout at Malden (10-5) on Tuesday, while Risco had won back-to-back games against Campbell and Clarkton at home.

Next, Senath-Hornersville hosts Portageville (8-6) next Tuesday beginning at 5:15 p.m. Risco has a tough test up next as they host Cooter (12-1) next Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“Winning five in a row is huge,” Penn said. “Now we have a tough part of our schedule ahead with four conference games in a row. It’s going to be tough, but we’re looking forward to it. In the Bootheel Conference, you have to bring it every single night.”