The Hive Sports

by James Tate

The West Field Longhorns earned a hard-fought 49–42 home victory over the Roy Royals on Friday night, surviving multiple momentum swings to secure their third win in four games. The victory lifts West Field to 9–7 overall and 4–2 in Region 5 play, while Roy continues its search for its first win despite one of its most inspired performances of the season.

Freshman standout Kenzie Bagby led all scorers with 18 points, including four three-pointers and a blistering 10-point first quarter. Senior Kylee Mueller added 15 points and delivered a dominant closing stretch to help the Longhorns fend off a late Royals surge. Roy freshman sensation Lily Solomona kept her team in the fight all night, finishing with a career high 16 points and a commanding presence in the paint.

Both teams showed toughness, poise, and the ability to answer each other’s runs, making for a game that stayed competitive from start to finish.

West Field opened the game with confidence, jumping ahead 15–8 behind Bagby’s hot hand. Solomona countered with six early points to keep Roy within striking distance. The Royals then turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, holding the Longhorns to just three points over the final 5:54. A buzzer-beating layup from senior Kennedee Solomon preserved a 21–17 Longhorns lead at halftime.

Kenzie Bagby

Second-half surge: seniors seal it after Royals rally

Roy came out of the locker room firing. Layups from True James and Quincy Hoover tied the game at 21 with 5:56 left in the third, swinging momentum firmly toward the Royals. But Mueller responded with back-to-back layups, and West Field used a timeout to reset before unleashing a decisive run.

Bagby scored five straight points, a layup followed by her third three-pointer, and senior Meghan Peterson added a free throw to push the lead to 31–21. Bagby then drilled her fourth three-pointer of the night to close the quarter, giving the Longhorns a 34–22 cushion.

Roy refused to fold. The Royals opened the fourth quarter with an 8–0 burst, fueled by three-pointers from Eva Reed and Jazzi Prieto, plus a James’ layup that cut the deficit to 34–30 with 4:56 remaining.

Just when the Royals appeared ready to overtake the Longhorns, sophomore Tahila Munoz delivered a game-changing stretch, a three-pointer followed by a layup, pushing the lead back to seven at 39–32.

From there, the Longhorn seniors took command.

Mueller scored a layup, sank four clutch free throws, and came up with a key steal. Senior guard Rylee Andreasen hit the biggest shot of the night, a deep three that stretched the lead to 44–36 with 2:10 left. Andreasen added a crucial rebound and a free throw in the final minute to seal the win.

Eva Reed

photos courtesy of James Tate