Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

COAL GROVE — The Coal Grove Hornets just seem to like playing close games.
All season, the Hornets have been in tight games and they were yet again on Friday as they rallied in the second half to beat the Chesapeake Panthers 54-42 in an Ohio Valley Conference game.
Chesapeake (7-4, 2-3) took a 12-7 first quarter lead as Eli Archer scored six points and Levi Blankenship hit a 3-pointer.
Aaron Music had all of Coal Grove’s points including a 3-pointer.
Cory Borders — who hit five 3-pointers on the night — knocked down two triples in the second quarter with Music and Nate Harmon adding baskets as Coal Grove got within 18-17 at the half.
Archer had four more points and Tylan Hutchison a basket to account for the Panthers’ scoring in the quarter.
Evan Gannon joined the long-range shooting contest with a pair of trifectas while Borders and Payton Smith also hit from beyond the arc to help the Hornets go in front 36-28 at the end of the third quarter.
Blankenship got four points as four different players scored for the Panthers.
The offense picked up in the fourth quarter as Smith had six points, Borders drained two more treys and Music had four points and Coal Grove (8-3, 3-2) outscored Chesapeake 18-14.
Nathan Cox hit a 3-pointer, Archer had five points and both Hutchison and Blankenship added three each.
Music and Borders shared scoring honors for the Hornets with 15 points with Smith netting 12.
Archer had 17 points to lead all scorers and Blankenship added 10.
On Tuesday, Coal Grove visits Ironton and Chesapeake entertains Fairland.
Chesapeake 12 6 10 14 = 42
Coal Grove 7 10 19 18 = 54
CHESAPEAKE (7-4, 2-3): Logan Walsh 1 0 0-0 2, Travis Grim 1 0 0-0 2, Nathan Cox 0 1 0-0 3, Levi Blankenship 2 1 3-3 10, Austin Jackson 0 0 0-0 0, Trent Dearth 1 0 0-0 2, Tylan Hutchison 2 0 2-6 6, Eli Archer 8 0 1-1 17. Totals: 15 2 6-10 42. Fouls: 11. Fouled out: None.
COAL GROVE (8-3, 3-2): Aaron Music 6 1 0-2 15, Cory Borders 0 5 0-0 15, Evan Gannon 1 2 0-0 8, Evan Holmes 1 0 0-0 2, Nate Harmon 1 0 0-0 2, Tait Matney 0 0 0-0 0, Kyle Sites 0 0 0-0 0, Justin Hicks 0 0 0-0 0, Ethan Short 0 0 0-0 0, Trevor Carey 0 0 0-0 0, Payton Smith 4 1 1-2 12. Totals: 13 9 1-4 54. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: None.