The piping hot NKC Hornets, ranked 8th in the newest Metro Sports KC top 25, took on and grounded the metro's top dog: the Lee's Summit Tigers, 57-51.
 
For the second time in the last 7 days, the Hornets have taken on, and defeated a number 1 team. Last night's win came in part due to a second half performance that saw the Hornets shoot over 80% from the line, and outscore the Tigers 15-9 in the final frame.
 
Senior standout Dallas Whitney led the charge, scoring 17 and adding 7 rebounds, aided by "The Answer" Iverson Neal and fellow senior (to round out the trio) John Elful.
 
The Hornets led for good, after a Neal slam extended the lead to 50-45. The Tigers would respond, however they would never pull back even, despite having a shot with under 30 seconds to play, as Avian Webb pulled the first of a one-and-one long. Benassi drove and found Brycen LaRue, who tossed up a runner that had fallen for most of the night. This time, the slight contest from Alex Gunnels of the Hornets did just enough to force a miss, and, given that they could convert their free throws, the Hornets victory felt imminent.
 
Whitney, Gunnels and Neal would shoot 5-6 to seal the victory, however, the lone miss by Whitney gave the Tigers one last shot to pull even or take a lead, but an inside hand finish by Benassi was tipped by Whitney, and Gunnels corralled the rebound.
 
The contested fourth was a result of a joint 36 point third quarter that saw both teams convert high percentage looks at the rim, however neither team was able to grab an inch, and the contest remained nodded at 42.
 
The first half was very much similar to the usual Hornet first half. A slow start, in which they trailed big, early, however after a string of stops, the momentum grew into a halftime lead, which became a tie, when a Whitney shot ruled as a 3 pointer was rightfully overturned. Such led to a 24-24 score.
 
This win is the 11th of which the Hornets were trailing, or tied at the break. They are 11-1 in such games. This win also serves as their 4th straight win (3rd over ranked opponents) and they improve to 18-5 (5-3 in conference).
 
The Hornets have 2 games remaining in the regular season. Friday on the road against St. Joe Central (3-20) and next Tuesday, for senior night, against #22 Park Hill South (14-10)