McFall's career day boosts Tigers in rout
Nov. 26—ALEXANDRIA — In order to find success, opponents of Alexandria's girls basketball team have to have an answer for sophomore scoring machine Jacklynn Hosier.
Saturday afternoon, Daleville had that answer, but Hosier's supporting cast posed an unsolvable equation.
Sophomore Kylan McFall connected on 5-of-7 3-point shots on her way to a career-high 17 points as Alexandria routed the Broncos 71-17 on Garth Cone Court in The Jungle.
It was a bounce back win for Alexandria (6-1) after its first loss Wednesday against Lapel while the Broncos dropped their sixth straight following a season-opening win against Muncie Burris.
Hosier entered the game averaging over 26 points and had just scored 36 in the loss to the Bulldogs. She managed just eight points against the Broncos, and it was incumbent upon her teammates to pick up the scoring slack. With McFall leading the way, 13 Tigers scored in the contest.
"There are going to be nights where teams are going to try to take Jack away, which is what I would do if I was the other team," Alex coach Mickey Hosier said. "We've got to have people step up. We've been waiting for Kylan. This summer she hit a bunch of shots, but it hadn't happened for her yet. We knew it was coming at some point, glad it was (today). That was kind of our expectation for her role coming into the season."
After a Cali Crum basket to open the scoring, McFall drilled her first bomb as the Tigers sprinted to a 9-0 lead. An Addisyn Gothrup 3-point basket for Daleville trimmed the lead to 15-9, but Alexandria scored the next nine straight points, and the rout was on.
McFall connected two more times in the second quarter as the Tigers ended the first half on a 12-0 run and took a 38-14 lead into the locker room.
"I was just glad I could hit shots because if Jack couldn't score, someone else had to step up and score in order for us to win," McFall said. "I just tried my hardest, and they went in."
Hosier did not score her first field goal until the final basket of the half after her first four points came at the free throw line. Although she came in well below her season's scoring average, she found other ways to help her team win with seven assists and nine steals — both game-highs — and matched Lily Harpe for team honors with five rebounds.
"Thirty-six and lose? I told her I'd rather take eight and win," Coach Hosier said. "One thing I've always told her is that she can affect the game in a number of ways."
The run was extended to 28 straight points into the third quarter, capped by an Abby Gaines layup before Gothrup buried a three-ball to break the Daleville drought.
But Gothrup's bucket was the only scoring of the second half by the Broncos, who were harried into 32 turnovers by the Tigers' defense. She finished with 12 of Daleville's 17 points and added five rebounds and three steals. Trishell Johnson matched Gothrup in rebounds and steals and added five blocks.
Crum finished with 10 points, and Payton Pulley added eight points for the Tigers.
"It helps our team because once Jack gets taken away, we've got to have back up," McFall said. "It's good when all of us can hit shots."
The Broncos will look to snap their losing streak Wednesday at Randolph Southern while Alexandria will face off with Central Indiana Conference rival Frankton at the Eagles Nest on Friday evening.
Contact Rob Hunt at rob.hunt@heraldbulletin.com or 765-640-4886.
