Hornets apply consistent, constant pressure while rolling past Indians for Rumble on the River victory

QUINCY — Brown County girls basketball coach David Phelps routinely harps on the Hornets’ need to run the alleys, spread the floor and share the basketball while in transition.

“Every darn day,” Phelps said.

He isn’t kidding.

“Every day,” sophomore guard Kenzie Kassing said. “Yeah, it’s every day.”

The reason why is so the Hornets can enjoy spurts like they did in the second quarter Wednesday night. Brown Country turned an eight-point lead into a blowout by outscoring Van-Far 27-6 in that eight-minute span and cruising to a 65-34 victory in the Rumble on the River at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.

The Hornets scored 16 of those 27 points in transition thanks to a suffocating defense that forced 10 turnovers in the frame.

“Who we are showed in the second quarter,” Phelps said.

That’s a team built on defensive pressure.

“Locking in on defense and giving them a lot of pressure is key,” sophomore point guard Hope Ingram said. “Forcing turnovers and running the floor really helps.”

The full-court pressure Brown County (7-3) employs becomes overwhelming with the length of the players at the front of the press. The 6-foot Kassing and 5-foot-10 Ingram are joined by 6-foot-1 Ashlee Markert in taking away passing lanes with their wingspan and athleticism.

“We’ve talked for weeks and weeks now about putting pressure on the ball and taking away passing lanes,” Phelps said. “We did it better tonight. We didn’t do it great, but we did it better. We still need to work on staying in front of our man and giving space to put that uncomfortable pressure on people.”

The ability to score at will puts pressure on opponents, too.

Ingram, who was named the game’s MVP, finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Kassing scored 21 points. Ingram scored 17 points in the second quarter.

“Our defense really helped us a lot by getting steals and allowing us to get up the floor,” Kassing said. 

When the Hornets did, they could hear Phelps’ practice mantras ringing in their ears.

“Pass, pass, pass,” Ingram said. “Look up. Look for the long passes. Get people open.”