All of Fulton's hard work is paying off early in the season.
The Hornets defeated Clopton 66-37 in the first round of Montgomery County Tournament on Tuesday night in Montgomery City, giving them their second win already of more than 25 points, as the Hornets beat Warrenton 68-36 last week.
Junior Colby Lancaster led the team with 20 points and was followed by junior Walker Gohring's 15 points, junior Josh Reams' eight points and sophomore Javar Galbreath's seven.
Despite 23 points from Clopton's Tyler Kuntz, Fulton (2-0) outscored the Hawks 25-6 after one quarter and had poured it on by halftime with a 52-12 lead.
Head coach Justin Gilmore said the team had great defensive presence against Clopton (1-1) which helped the Hornets transition seamlessly into their game like they did in the second half against Warrenton.
"I thought we guarded extremely well," Gilmore said. "Our defensive presence and our presence on the glass tonight was super big tonight. We got big stops and were able to get out and run."
On top of this big win to start its week, Fulton received good news late Monday when the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association released its preseason state rankings. The Hornets start this season ranked 10th in Class 4 and sit in the top 10 with teams such as Class 4 District 9 foes Blair Oaks (second) and Father Tolton (seventh) and North Central Missouri Conference rival Mexico (fifth).
Head coach Justin Gilmore said the ranking shows how hard his players have worked since their freshman years, where now they're being recognized across the state.
"It's a testament to how hard our group has worked the last couple years," he said. "A lot of our guys have playing varsity that last year or two and have really put in a lot of work in the offseason and in practice. They want to be good, and they want everything that they're being recognized for now so I think this means a lot to them. I think they also know we have a lot of work to do. You can't be content with being ranked No. 10 this early in the season, and we're got other goals later in the season we want to accomplish."
Fulton advances into the championship bracket of the Montgomery County Tournament, where the Hornets will play New Haven (2-1) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Montgomery County High School gym. The Shamrocks edged third-seeded Hermann 35-32 late Tuesday night.