Sydney Snyder scored a game-high 29 points and her sister Lauren Snyder added 14 to lead Kirtland to a 66-46 win at Garfield Heights on Monday.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 3-0 and have their second win over a Division I program this season.
“It’s always our goal to beat the bigger teams,” Snyder said. “We love getting those wins because we know it will help later in the tournament. We all know what’s at stake when we head into those games but we practice on staying poised, which helps us the end.”
The Hornets opened up the game with an 18-12 first quarter advantage and led 39-28 at halftime. A 16-9 third quarter run helped Kirtland pull away down the stretch.
As always, the Hornets capitalized on turnovers.
“Defense is always the difference for us,” Snyder said. “We knew we had to keep up our intensity and we did. Coach (Bob) Bell always reminds us of that, how we are a fast team and need to convert those turnovers into points.”
Lauren Lutz and Julia Camino each contributed with six points, Katie McCollister had five, Jenna Sayle finished with four and Amber Yurick pitched in with two for the Hornets.
“It definitely helps when you have Katie and Lauren at the point dishing you the ball and Jenna and Lauren Lutz coming and setting picks,” Snyder said of her season-high 29. “Without their help, I would never be able to do any of it.”
The Hornets, who also have a win over Division II West Geauga, will play their first Division III opponent on Wednesday in the conference opener against Berkshire, who also is 3-0.
“We are starting to really come together as a team, looking for one another,” Snyder said. “Having Julia and Amber as two more secret weapons is amazing to have along with Katie, Jenna and Lauren Lutz and my sister. We are all really close friends on and off the court, which makes us a better team.”
