In a key battle between District 10-3A’s two 3-0 teams, the Bonham Lady Warriors put away the North Lamar Lady Panthers in straight sets Tuesday night.
It was a focused group of Lady Warriors that stepped out onto the court. To start with, Bonham was well aware that this is an athletic North Lamar team quite capable of making a run at the district title. Even more inescapable is the fact that the Lady Warriors can no longer look to big-play specialists Amber White and Ashley Leeks as both young ladies recover from an automobile accident.
“We know we can’t make mistakes,” observed Bonham head coach Robyn Hill.
So, they didn’t.
With Kristina Gunn slamming down six kills in the opener, Bonham grabbed a 21-7 lead en route to a 25-16 victory in game one. Fellow senior Rikki Reedy contributed a pair of kills, one block and an ace. Kristin Fox, Kelsey Hines and Sydney Millhollon each chipped in a kill.
North Lamar battled back in game two, but another strong showing by Gunn, Hines and Millhollon carried the Lady Warriors to a 25-22 win. Gunn had five kills in the second game, while hard-hitting juniors Hines and Millhollon added four kills and three kills, respectively.
All the Lady Warriors had a hand in the third game to allow Bonham to earn a sweep. Kayla Irwin’s serves gave Bonham an early advantage. Solid defense and precision passing by Logan Cunningham, Ashley Sanders and Reedy gave Paige Riza and Fox an opportunity to set up the hitters. Gunn, Millhollon, Hines and Reedy made the most of their chances.
Gunn got four more kills through the North Lamar defense in game three to finish the night with a match-high 15 kills. Millhollon turned in an impressive performance in the middle with three kills and a block in the final game. Reedy had two kills, a block and an ace. Fox added a pair of ace and a block. Hines tallied one last kill.
For the evening, Millhollon totaled seven kills, Hines had six kills, while Reedy finished with four kills.
With Tuesday night’s win, the Lady Warriors improve to 4-0 and take over sole possession of first place in District 10-3A. Bonham is now 22-7 on the season. The loss drops North Lamar to 3-1 in district play and 20-12 for the year.
Bonham will have another very difficult challenge on their hands Friday evening when the Lady Warriors travel to Van Alstyne to face a tough Lady Panther team.
