Dighton’s bid for a breakout season never quite materialized last year, but the Hornets proved they weren’t far off. 

They finished 12-10 with seven losses to ranked teams and seven losses by six points or fewer. 

With four senior starters, led by standout Lani Speer, the Hornets felt great about their chances to make noise this season. 

“When you have a tremendous athlete like Lani and a great senior class,” Dighton coach Cyrus Haynes said, “we knew this was the year where we were going to make a push; we had hoped to make it last year. 

“Especially with them making state in volleyball, they got a taste of what that’s like and I think that made them even more hungry going into the season.”

Dighton already has delivered a major highlight, winning Quinter's Castle Rock Classic for the first time since 2016. 

The Hornets beat Oakley 57-45 in the semifinals before topping host Quinter 51-44 in the championship game last Saturday. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 3 in Class 1A Division I at the time. 

“We played two really good teams in Oakley and Quinter,” Haynes said. “We’ve been on the cusp of being a really, really good team and a championship level team. We were close last year against a lot of good competition.

“It was nice to see us finally keep our composure and do the small details to win the big games. Learning how to win and the standard it takes to win, it’s been a good experience for us.”

Speer recorded 13 points and 15 rebounds in the title game. Rielly James came up clutch for the Hornets with a game-high 16 points. 

“It’s a great atmosphere in Quinter and they’re a really tough team,” Haynes said. “We lost to them three times last year. Down the stretch, we were able to hit some free throws and take care of the ball. We held them off when they made their last push.”

“(Quinter’s Kamry Getz and Braelyn Blackwill) are great players, and we were able to execute our game plan and limit their impact on the game. Carlie Speer was a big part of that, holding Getz off the boards so other girls could get the rebound.”

In the semifinal win against Oakley, James scored 18 and Rylee Myers added 13. 

Dighton returned three starters from last year in Lani Speer, James and Myers. Other varsity returners include Carlie Speer, Kenzie Zimmerman, Lily Beach and Maelyn Berndt.

“The one nice thing about our team is we have a lot of role players that can all contribute,” Haynes said. 

Dighton opened with a 50-47 loss to WaKeeney-Trego but regrouped nicely in the Castle Rock Classic. 

“That one took us off guard a little bit,” Haynes said. “Lani got in foul trouble and it kind of threw us off our game. We got down early and clawed back and had chances at the end, and couldn’t get a ball to go into the hoop. 

“That was a tough one, but it was probably good for us. It was a nice wake-up call to show that no game is an easy win and no one is just going to lay over for us. We have to show up each night, and when we do, good things can happen.”

After the Castle Rock title, Dighton moved to 4-1 with a 56-40 win over La Crosse on Tuesday. The Hornets will close out their pre-Christmas slate at Wallace County on Friday. 

“We just need to finish out strong and go into break with some momentum and a good taste in our mouth,” Haynes said. “Then we’ll get to work in the break and continue to get better.”

OTHER WESTERN KANSAS GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDOUTS 

– Hays is out to a 5-0 start. The Indians captured the Hays City Shootout title for the second straight year. Standout sophomore guard Jenna Schmeidler was the Most Outstanding Player of the Shootout and scored a career-high 32 in the championship game against Manhattan. 

– Holcomb won the Larned Gene Keady Classic and is now 6-0 on the season. The Longhorns beat Great West Activities Conference rival Colby 41-39 on Tuesday. 

– Ellinwood won the Kiowa County Shootout and now sits 5-0 after a 68-12 win over Ell-Saline On Tuesday. Julia Schlessiger leads the Eagles with 15 points per game. 

– Hoxie won the Purple and Gold title in WaKeeney with a 67-42 win over Hodgeman County on Saturday. The Indians are now 6-0 on the season. 

– Rock Hills, led by Bethany Simmelink, is out to a 4-0 start. Simmelink opened the season with 21 points against Pike Valley then scored 25 against Lakeside. 

– Cheylin won the Sagebrush Classic in Brewster, defeating Wallace County 62-39 in the title game. The Cougars are now 5-0. 

– The Ashland girls are 6-0 on the season, led by Molly Harris’ 13.7 points per game.