For the second straight game, the Rossville Lady Hornets defeated an unbeaten opponent by leaning on the strength of their defense.
Fresh off Saturday’s victory over previously undefeated Fountain Central, a game in which Rossville allowed just 11 second-half points, the Hornets opened Hoosier Heartland Conference play Tuesday with a similar script. This time, they held the Delphi Lady Oracles to only 12 points after halftime, pulling away for a 53–40 win.
Both teams came out applying heavy defensive pressure, leading to a flurry of early turnovers. Delphi managed to break through first, taking a 16–11 lead with two minutes left in the opening quarter. Despite a late steal and quick score by Ava Burkle, the Oracles added to their advantage as Airy Lattimore drilled a left-wing three at the buzzer to make it 19–13.
Rossville’s troubles continued into the second quarter when freshman point guard Mallory O’Brien picked up her third foul and was forced to the bench. Delphi capitalized with a basket that pushed the lead to 21–13.
That was the spark Rossville needed. Junior Allie Elliott scored inside, and the Hornets followed with back-to-back threes, one from Elliott and one from senior Addi Gorbett, to tie the game at 21. The teams traded runs the rest of the half, with Delphi clinging to a 28–27 lead at the break.
After intermission, the game briefly knotted at 31 before freshman Adalyne Farley made an immediate impact. She buried a three, and Burkle added a layup to give Rossville control with under three minutes remaining in the third. The Hornets’ aggressive 2–3 zone closed down driving lanes, and the Oracles never got closer than two points the rest of the night.
Rossville carried a 40–34 lead into the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Gorbett led the Hornets with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Burkle added 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Elliott and Farley each contributed 10 points, while O’Brien scored six and Victoria Vanderwall added a free throw.
Rossville returns to action Friday, hosting Eastern in another conference matchup.