Hawthorne looking to go to state

The Hawthorne Hornets girls basketball team will travel to Lafayette high school to take on the Hornets in regional finals action for a chance to go to the state semifinals. Hawthorne is 13-8 on the season and looking to make it to the state semifinals for the second time in four years.

They are led by head coach, Cornelius Ingram, a former Gators football and basketball player now coaching back at his high school alma mater. Ingram wasn’t planning on becoming the girl’s basketball coach at first but welcomed the opportunity.

Hornets struggled early on

The Hornets season didn’t start out the way coach Ingram wanted to early in the year. They lost 3 of their first five games to start the season and were only 8-8 by January 25th.

Turning things around

Since January 25th Hawthorne is undefeated, going 5-0, including their most recent victory. A 61-46 victory over Hamilton County in the regional semifinals. The Hornets seem to have turned the corner and are playing very well. Coach Ingram is very proud of his team and says that they have exceeded expectations of everyone.

The opponent

The Hornets are taking on the Lafayette Hornets (20-7) in the regional final. The host Hornets are coming off a 62-26 thumping of Hilliard in the regional semifinals and are trying to make it to their second straight state semifinals. Coach Ingram understands that this is a good Lafayette team.

Staying hungry

Hawthorne didn’t start off the season in the best way but has played well down the stretch and accomplished a lot. His team has learned how well they can play and is hungry to continue their winning streak.