ST. ELIZABETH - The St. Elizabeth Hornets nearly erased an 18-point halftime deficit Monday, but their comeback came up short in a 61-57 loss to the Richland Bears.
Richland led 18-10 after the first quarter and 35-17 at halftime. The Bears led by as many as 20 points before the Hornets began their charge in the second half.
St. Elizabeth cut the lead to 48-35 by the end of the third quarter and scored 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Hornets came within three points of the lead with two minutes to play but couldn't get any closer than that.
Zach Voss led St. Elizabeth with 15 points, while Dakota Kemna chipped in 12 points. Ross Struemph added 11 points.
Tanner Riddle led Richland with 21 points.
St. Elizabeth (6-9) will host Vienna on Friday.