Willows prunes Live Oak

Willows took a 1-0 first-quarter lead on a Lindsay Van Tol free throw and never trailed in the contest Tuesday, running away from visiting Live Oak 55-35.

The Honkers quickness and athleticism proved problematic for the Lions all evening, and Willows' more disciplined offensive approach led to better shot opportunities that were often converted into points.

Following Van Tol's opening free throw Hailey Daniels hit a turnaround jumper, Van Tol made good on two more from the charity stripe, and Daniels took one into the paint for a hoop, giving Willows an early 7-0 lead. Keara Tade, Tina Soneouthay and Olivia Fleming all got into the scoring act before the end of the quarter, and when the period ended with a 13-7 Honkers' lead, it was on.

Cathy Soneouthay canned a three-pointer at the beginning of the second quarter, and a six-point run later on stretched the advantage to 28-10. By halftime the lead had ballooned to 20 points, 34-14.

Having that big a cushion allowed the Honkers to get their non-starters significant amounts of playing time, and coach Terri Moore was very pleased with the result.

"Everyone played a lot and contributed," she said. "Staci Bettencourt came off the bench and played well with five steals, and Jade Leonardo came off the bench to score eight points."

It was a night where everything just clicked for the Lady Honkers, as Van Tol and Fleming shared scoring honors with 13 points each, with Fleming grabbing nine rebounds and Van Tol, five. Willows got excellent guard play from the Soneouthays, with Tina scoring eight and grabbing seven rebounds, while Cathy had five points, seven boards and also picked up six steals. Tade scored five points and shared the team lead with nine boards, and Hailey Daniels also scored eight.

The Honkers improved to 8-7, 1-0 in the SVL, and take the court again Friday with Colusa in town. Willows stays in town Tuesday for a tough contest with Durham.