Hornets pull away from Alvord
Jan. 22—Era held its largest lead in the fourth quarter Friday night on the way to a much-needed win.
The Era boys' basketball team defeated Alvord 40-32 in a district game behind a strong defensive effort.
Era (8-15 overall, 3-3 District 13-2A) kept its playoff hopes alive with the win in front of an energetic home crowd.
Alvord (1-5, 7-17) is in danger of missing the postseason a year after winning the district championship.
Era coach Troyce Renfro said the Hornets played great defense.
"We've played a few different defenses," Renfro said. "We played a 1-3-1 tonight. The guys are really hustling to their spots. They weren't making any mistakes. They just did an awesome job."
The two sides traded the lead during the third quarter. Alvord led 28-27 with under 3 minutes to go in the quarter, but Era responded. The Hornets finished the third and began the fourth on an 13-1 run to retake control. The resulting 40-29 lead was their largest of the night.
Era hit two shots in the first three minutes of the fourth but did not score from the field again. Defense and a few free throws carried the Hornets to the end. Alvord hit a 3-pointer with about 18 seconds to play, the only field goal the Bulldogs made in the fourth. Era held them to 11 points in the second half.
Era senior Kyle Greer said the Hornets played smarter as the game progressed.
"Made smart decisions with the ball in the second half," Greer said. "We didn't try to shoot too much in the second half like we did in the first half. Just held the ball, ran more time. Got better looks, smart looks."
Alvord led 21-20 at halftime after hitting a 3-pointer to end the second quarter. This was the first lead the Bulldogs had held. Era scored first, then Alvord tied it 3-3. The Hornets scored the next 7 points to lead 10-3 after the first.
The Hornets had connected on three 3-pointers in the first, but Alvord responded with four in the second to close the gap and set up a competitive second half.
Era sophomore Weston Griffin led the Hornets with 14 points, followed by Greer with 11. Alvord junior Camron Seiter led the game with 20. No other player had more than 5.
Renfro said Griffin and Greer played well.
"Weston asserted himself inside," Renfro said. "Kyle, he played like a senior tonight."
With the win, Era is tied with Collinsville and Tioga for third in the district. The Hornets beat Tioga but lost to Collinsville in the first round of district play. Rematches against the Pirates on Feb. 1 and Tioga on Feb. 4 will be huge in the playoff race, as will every game the rest of the way.
Greer said the Hornets are up to the task.
"We're improving," Greer said. "We're ready to take on what's next. We'll have a better second half of district."
