Junior guard Corri Hamilton tallied a game-high 16 points and the Fulton Lady Hornets rode an impressive second half to a 52-34 North Central Missouri Conference victory over Hannibal on Thursday night.
Fulton went into halftime down 25-17, but outscored Hannibal 35-9 in the second half to pull away for the win. The Lady Hornets - who held off the Lady Pirates 37-33 on Jan. 3 in Fulton - improved to 8-11 overall and 5-5 in the NCMC.
Hamilton also collected a team-high 12 rebounds Thursday night, while senior forward Liz Foreman logged 10 points.
"We had really good ball movement; we changed up our offense and went to a basic motion," Lady Hornets head coach Jenny Preiss said. "That opened up the lanes for us."
Cassidy Trenhaile topped Hannibal with 14 points.
"We were more aggressive and were forcing (Hannibal) to really handle the ball," Preiss said.
Fulton dropped the junior varsity game 43-24. Sophomore guard Stephanie Hughes came up with a team-high 11 points and junior guard Kelly Oldani followed with 10.
Fulton visits NCMC foe Moberly at 6 p.m. Monday. The Lady Hornets bowed to the Lady Spartans 48-18 on Jan. 6 in Fulton.
N. Bloomfield basketball (VG).....48
Wellsville.....................................21
NEW BLOOMFIELD - The Lady Wildcats forged a 23-6 halftime lead en route to Thursday night's 27-point romp over the Lady Tigers.
The convincing win was the second straight for New Bloomfield (9-11), which was coming off a 46-40 Show-Me Conference victory over Chamois - ranked No. 8 in Class 1 - on Tuesday night.
"We're playing a little better right now," Lady Wildcats head coach Brett Craighead said.
Junior forward Chelsea Wiler put up a game-high 21 points to direct New Bloomfield on Thursday night. Senior guard Elizabeth Clark added 13 points.
"We're becoming more patient on offense," Craighead said. "We're taking our time and getting good shots."
Bethany Bishop scored a team-high seven points for Wellsville.
"(Bishop) is a very good player and we tried to concentrate on her," Craighead said. "We had a jump defense that we put on her. We've been more aggressive and more active on defense."
The Lady Wildcats (5-2) also rolled to a commanding 55-14 win in the junior varsity game. Freshman guard Shelby Bailey responded with a team-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Freshman guard Bethany Craighead also supplied 13 points and freshman center Abby Haas contributed 11.
New Bloomfield travels to Community R-6 at 6 p.m. Monday.
Hornets basketball team
hosting food drive tonight
The Fulton Hornets basketball team will be hosting a food drive to benefit SERVE, Inc., during tonight's North Central Missouri Conference matchup against Hannibal.
The junior varsity game tips off at 6 at Roger D. Davis Gymnasium, followed by the varsity contest.
Admission is two canned or boxed food items; otherwise, the regular admission of $3 for adults and $2 for students will be charged.
All food and money collected tonight will be donated to SERVE.
William Woods basketball (W)....70
Hannibal-LaGrange University....56
HANNIBAL - Senior forward Rachel Baker produced game-highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds Thursday night to help steer the Lady Owls to the 14-point AMC victory.
William Woods University - which led 28-21 at halftime - shot just 37 percent (24-of-65) and committed 19 turnovers. Fueled by Baker, the Lady Owls controlled the boards with a decisive 46-26 margin.
Baker was one of three players to score in double figures for William Woods, which slipped one spot to No. 22 in this week's NAIA Division I Top 25. The Lady Owls, who have won three in a row, are now 23-2 overall and 10-1 in the American Midwest Conference.
Senior forward Jestine Gerber - who knocked down three 3-pointers - added 13 points for William Woods on Thursday night, while junior center Miranda Loesch had 11.
Nicole Villalobos finished with 19 points to guide Hannibal-LaGrange (4-20, 2-8), which suffered its sixth straight loss. Kayla Smith also provided 10 points for the Lady Trojans, who shot 39 percent (24-of-61) as a team and recorded 18 turnovers.
The Lady Owls won both regular-season meetings against Hannibal-LaGrange. William Woods also toppled the Lady Trojans 73-61 on Jan. 13 in Fulton.
The Lady Owls return home for an AMC contest against Williams Baptist (Ark.) College at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Anderson Arena. William Woods dismantled Williams Baptist 78-56 on Jan. 15 at Walnut Ridge, Ark.
Owls baseball team set to start
season with Memphis trip
The William Woods University Owls baseball team - starting its sixth year under head coach Darren Munns - will open the 2011 season this weekend with a three-game series against Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tenn.
The two teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, followed by a nine-inning game at noon Sunday.
The Owls were 33-22 overall and 15-9 in the American Midwest Conference in 2010. William Woods finished second in the AMC both during the regular season and in the postseason tournament.
The Owls return 14 players from last year's squad, including all-AMC picks Eric Switzer, Logan Lawson and L.J. Watson.
Switzer - a first-team all-AMC selection - went 7-3 last season with a 4.66 earned-run average. The 5-foot-8 senior left-hander led the team in starts (14) and innings pitched (75 1/3).
Lawson, an honorable-mention all-AMC choice, compiled a 9-2 record and a 5.09 ERA in 2010. The 5-11 senior right-hander started 13 games and threw 70 2/3 innings.
Watson - an honorable-mention all-AMC selection the past two seasons - hit .361 with 14 home runs, 12 doubles, five triples and 47 runs batted in during the 2010 season. The 6-1 senior infielder-outfielder led William Woods with a .747 slugging percentage.
Weather postpones Lady Owls
softball team's season opener
The William Woods University Lady Owls softball team will have to wait a bit longer to get its 2011 season going.
William Woods' scheduled games today at Arkansas Tech University and Saturday at Hendrix College have been postponed because of the snowstorm that struck Arkansas earlier this week.
Make-up dates for the games have not been announced.
The Lady Owls - entering their 14th year under head coach Tracy Gastineau - will now open the season with a home doubleheader against Benedictine College on Feb. 20.
Lady Blue Jays' distance
medley relay takes fifth
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Westminster College women's distance medley relay posted a fifth-place finish at Illinois College's Dr. Jim Green Classic on Feb. 5.
The relay unit of junior Kaily Downey and freshmen Sarah Koestner, Sarah Ogar and Courtney Griswold logged a time of 14 minutes, 2.02 seconds.
Koestner also came in seventh in the mile in 5:36.38, while Ogar placed eighth in the 400 meters in :66.75.
The Westminster men's and women's teams compete in the Missouri Valley Invitational at Marshall on Saturday.