PHOTOS BY CHERI JAY-WIENECKE Lady Hornets Nayla Rosales (23) and Kylie Bradley (13) show their adeptness at guarding the opponent. The Lady Hornets might want to consider raising the bar a little.

Sporting a 3-6 overall record heading into the Cherokee Invitational, head coach Brandy Eckermann just wanted her squad to feel the thrill of a first-round victory in a tournament setting.

They did, but the girls did not stop there.

Lometa earned its way into the championship game before falling to host team Cherokee and taking second-place honors.

Despite the finals loss, there was no doubt Eckermann was pleased with her squad's performance.

"We managed to not only achieve [our] goals but to go beyond them," the coach said. "Second place for us was a big deal.

"The girls have not played for the championship in a tournament in a long time."

The Lady Hornets achieved their original goal easily and almost didn't need to break a sweat in the process.

Drawing Cherokee JV in the first round, Lometa quickly imposed its will and built a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter after holding its opponent to just five points in the opening eight minutes.

Lometa senior Eric Belyeu (11) scrambles for a loose ball in recent tournament action. By halftime, the lead ballooned to 19 points at 31-12, before the Lady Hornets grabbed a 59-27 victory.

Senior wing Maribel Reyes posted a team-high 21 points in the win, while post Jeanette Rosales scored 12. Maria Jaso and Kylie Bradley each netted eight.

The second round proved to be tougher as the Lady Hornets matched up against Richland Springs.

Trailing by four points after the first quarter, Lometa pulled even by halftime then took control during the final 16 minutes.

Led by Marissa Nichols' 16 points and Jaso's 10, the Lady Hornets found themselves with a 31-24 lead after three quarters and won 43-34.

The victory put Lometa in the championship game and gave the girls a measure of revenge against a familiar foe.

"After beating Cherokee JV, we knew we would have a tough time with Richland Springs because they had beat us twice this year already," Eckermann said. "We focused on playing smart offense and tough defense, and held their top-scoring players to a minimum.

Lady Hornet Maribel Reyes, top photo, is sandwiched between two Star players at a recent tourney. Bottom photo: Bubba Salinas (in white) tries to protect the ball as he heads to the net. "This win was a big step for us."

The Lady Hornets ran into a buzz saw in host team Cherokee, losing 66-47. But the setback was only temporary as they took a lot away from the tournament trip.

"Cherokee has a good group of girls and, playing in their gym, we knew it would not be easy," Eckermann said. "Although we did not win the championship, we were still pleased with the great success we had."

It did not take long for Lometa to build on the foundation set in Cherokee.

On Tuesday, the Lady Hornets blasted Star at home, winning 54-38 and improving their district record to a perfect 2-0.

Lometa held a 14-point lead — 35-21 — by halftime. Star accumulated just 30 points through three quarters.

Sophomore Kylie Bradley exploded for 20 points in the contest, while Jaso scored 10, and Nichols added nine.

"Bradley had an impressive game," Eckermann said. "She worked very hard and hustled to get every rebound."

The Lady Hornets (6-7, 2-0 district) return to action tonight when they travel to Cranfills Gap in search of another district victory.

"We have had a hard time the past couple of years in district, but the girls have improved so much since last year," Eckermann said. "Their hard work is paying off."

* * *

The Hornets made a shining example out of Star Tuesday night.

Coming off a championship-winning run at the Cherokee Invitational, Lometa kept its momentum rolling and extinguished Star by 32 points. The Hornets won 63-31 to improve their district record to 2-0.

David Cruz led Lometa with 19 points, followed closely by Dalton Parsons who totaled 17, including five 3-pointers. Senior Brandon Faubion had 15 points in the blowout.

While head coach Wendell Bradley is pleased his players' shots are falling, he knows the season's outcome hinges on how well his team plays on the defensive side of the floor.

"We're just trying to overwhelm people with our defense," the coach said. "So far, so good."

The philosophy certainly paid dividends against the Tigers.

Star started with a flash, scoring on its first two possessions, but the remainder of the period was the Hornets' time to shine. They held the Tigers to just one free throw during the next 20 possessions.

By the end of the quarter, Lometa was well on its way to victory, leading 23-5.

"We're just playing a full-court, attacking press and then playing pretty tough man-to-man half-court defense [in hopes of] trying to wear people down," Bradley said. "We usually have numbers on [our opponents], and so we keep running fresh people in."

Offensively, the Hornets (8-1, 2- 0 district) are somewhat limited in what they can do, considering no player on the roster stands taller than 6-0.

But thus far, the lack of a true post presence has yet to negatively impact the squad.

Forward Faubion leads the team in scoring.

"Pretty much where he dominates is on the boards, on the missed shots. [He primarily scores] either on the backside rebound or we'll dump it to him off a dribble penetration," Bradley said. "We can't play as much of a half-court game. We're playing more of an opencourt game."

Over the weekend, Lometa topped its competition at the Cherokee Invitational by utilizing Faubion's talents, and he earned all-tournament team honors along with Cruz.

In the first match-up, the Hornets found themselves facing Brownwood Victory Life Academy.

Thanks to a game-high 14 points from Bubba Salinas, the Hornets rolled to a 63-47 opening-round victory.

Cruz scored a dozen in the game, and Faubion added 11 points.

Rival Richland Springs awaited the Hornets in round two last Friday. Lometa worked hard for its win, as it eked out a 54-53 victory behind Faubion's 20-point performance.

In the championship round, the Hornets found themselves in another one-possession game down the stretch against Boerne Vanguard Christian, winning 45-43.

Faubion (16 pts.) and Cruz (11 pts.) combined for 27 points in the pressure-packed contest.

All in all, it was a busy but promising week for Bradley and his boys.

"We've just been playing a little better and a little better," the coach said. "Then we won a couple [close] games to win the championship, and it has just given us a little confidence.

"We just keep getting better every night out."