Holcomb extends home win streak with victory over Campbell

HOLCOMB, Mo. - Only a seven-mile drive, the Campbell Camels traveled to challenge the Holcomb Hornets in a MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 match-up.

The Hornets fought off Campbell to take a 67-52 home win. This marks their third straight home win of the season. In fact, it has been 375 days since the last time they lost on their home court, as they contain a six-game winning streak dating back to January 2024.

This win over Campbell was due to the synergy of Holcomb’s starting five. Outside of sophomore Chaytlin Hardcastle, who had four points off the bench, all of Holcomb’s points came from Alexa Stockton’s starting lineup. Each player in the starting five scored in double digits

“Offensively, we came out and attacked which is exactly what we had talked about,” head coach Alex Stockton said. “We had five girls in double digits and that helps a lot.”

Out of those five girls in double digits, senior Gabrielle (Gabi) Harmon. She scored 18 points, knocking down three three-pointers, and was 5-6 from the free-throw line.

She got things going for the Hornets, scoring eight points in the first quarter. This helped Holcomb take a 21-16 lead over Campell.

Despite Harmon’s efforts, Stockton said they struggled to stop Campbell defensively in the first half.

“We gave up a lot of easy rebounds and they shot really well,” Stockton said. “We were checking their shots, but they have a couple of really good shooters, especially Gabbie Townsend. It was hard to stop their shooting.”

Townsend, a freshman, would perform a game-high 21 points to keep her team within striking distance. Along with her, junior Kaitlyn Weidenbenner added 13 points to the Camels' total.

Together, Townsend and Weidenbenner had five total three-pointers in the competition compared to Holcomb who only scored three from beyond the arc.

After being held to only four points in the second quarter, down 33-20 at halftime, Campbell began to attempt a comeback in the third.

They outscored Holcomb 14-12, with Townsend and Weidenbenner having a combined 10 points in the third quarter.

However, a 24-point fourth quarter from the Hornets put this game away. This surge was led by junior Ava Gurley. After having just two points in the first half, she put up eight points in the final quarter to finish with 10 total.

Along with guards Harmon and Gurley scoring a combined 28 points, sophomore Keyleigh Love-Mullins and junior Landynn Hodges each had 13 points in the frontcourt as post players. The fourth leading scorer for Holcomb was senior Chloe Hendrix who had 11 points.

“It’s extremely helpful having five players in double-digit,” Stockton said. “Typically, we have one player who is known to be our leading scorer. Even if she isn’t in double-digits, but the rest of them are and she’s not the only one handling the ball, it helps out a lot. That usually results in a good win for us when multiple players score like that.”

With this victory, the Hornets lifted themselves to a winning record of 8-7.

“That’s what we needed tonight,” Stockton said after the game. “Our goal was to come here and get a big win with this being a conference and district game. We didn’t want to come and drop this game, but I’m sure we will see them again and it will be another battle.”

Their next competition will be on the road against Greenville on Monday, Jan. 20.

For Campbell, now sitting at 6-9, they will attempt to come off their two-game losing streak as they travel to Hayti on Tuesday, Jan. 21.