Basketball
10 November, 2025
Home wins for Hornets over Colac
Both the men’s and women’s Horsham Hornets sides had success in their Country Basketball League round six clashes as each side defeated the Colac Kookas at Horsham Basketball Stadium on Saturday Night.
After numerous tight losses in their first five games, the Lady Hornets registered their first victory of the season, defeating Colac 76-69.
Jordyn Burke, coach of the women’s team, said it was a just reward for the hard work put in by the team.
“It’s great as a coach, and for the assistant coach in Tim (Webb) and team manager in Casey (Plazzer), but the win was truly about the girls,” Burke said.
“They deserve a win, and they played well against a very good team to get it.”
Little separated the teams in the first half, with the Hornets taking a 38-36 lead at halftime after trailing by two at the end of the quarter.
An 11-0 run gave the Hornets a 52-40 lead midway through the third quarter, before captain Georgia Hiscock hit a three-pointer on each side of three-quarter time to help the home side hold a double-digit lead early in the fourth.
But a 14-0 run from Colac saw the visitors tie the game, then take the lead midway through the fourth.
A mix of impressive defence and crucial baskets from Jorja Clode and Jemma Thomas in the final minutes saw the Hornets retake the lead and finish seven-point winners.
Hiscock led the way with 31 points, including four three-pointers, while Clode had 22.
Burke praised the team’s composure in the late stages of the game, as well as the execution of their game plan.
“It was very much a seesaw of a game where we were up by about 10, the scores almost equalled, we extended our lead again, and then it was real close late in the game,” Burke said.
“We made a few mistakes, but the difference was that we were able to steady the ship, rather than go down by 10 or thereabouts like we have in other close games.”
“Colac had a couple of really athletic guards that hurt us in their press last time, so we made sure to get through the first line of their press this time.
“On offence, we continued with our inside-outside game, where we collapsed their zone and looked to kick out to open shooters, and we were able to shoot well.”
Asked about Hiscock’s performance, Burke commended the captain’s two-way performance.
“Georgia shot the life out of it,” Burke said.
“She was really good defensively, and offensively, really got her game going.
“She had been out of basketball for a couple of years, and despite playing well the first few games, probably frustrated herself as she wasn’t converting as many looks as she would like, but today, she really took advantage of it.
“It was a good overall team game and that was pleasing to see, to go along with the result.”
The men’s side continued their momentum as they defeated the Kookas 108-79.
The Hornets raced out to a 31-12 lead late in the first quarter and maintained control of the game for the remainder of the half as they took a 67-38 halftime lead.
The home side extended the lead to 43 late in the third quarter before a strong finish from Colac reduced the deficit, and the Hornets closed out the game as 29-point victors.
Micah Livingstone led the side again with 26 points, while Tarkyn Benbow and Judd Wright added 18 and 17 points, respectively, as all 11 players got on the scoreboard.
Coach Scott Benbow was happy with the Hornets’ strong performance, praising how the side is embracing and executing their fast-paced style of play.
“That’s probably as good as we’ve played this year,” Benbow said.
“We love getting up the floor, and we find teams are quite happy to travel with us when we take the pace off the ball, as it gives teams a bit more of a chance.
“Really happy with that first half.
“The third quarter was good, and the last quarter was sort of going through the motions, without taking anything away from Colac. We got to play the bench a bit more, try a couple of different things.”
Benbow identified the team’s rebounding and shotmaking as obvious strengths in the win.
“I thought we rebounded very well tonight, and our three ball was on tonight,” Benbow said.
“Tarkyn had four, Micah had two, Levi had two.
“That's good because we talked about attacking the ring, and when they close us up, kicking it out for the open three-point shot, and it played out well.
Asked about playing in front of a spirited home crowd, Benbow said it always provides a boost.
“We always talk about it being worth 20 points to us,” Benbow said.
“We feed off that energy, and I know that other teams don't like playing against us here, but they do like playing against us because of the crowd.
“You go to some other stadiums and you're playing in front of 20, and to come here and play in front of 350 or 400, it's a good experience.”
