Gabe Hornsby was noticeably upset when he was called for a traveling violation early in the third quarter.

The Bentonville West senior screamed in frustration, catching a stern look from game officials before Wolverines coach Greg White hurriedly subbed him out to keep him from picking up his second technical of the game.

After getting his emotions under control, Hornsby and senior forward Collier Blackburn locked in on defense to help the Wolverines (6-0) outlast the Mountain Home Bombers (1-7) 46-40 in nonconference action at Wolverine Arena on Tuesday.

"I thought defensively we weren't as good as we've been, and that's on me as a coach," White said. "But I feel like we're a solid defensive team, and anytime you can hold somebody to 40 points, that's what we're going to push for."

Hornsby's technical foul came at the 1-minute, 39-second mark in the second quarter. On the play, the athletic guard got an offensive rebound before elevating toward the rim for a layup. He pushed through contact to earn a foul and float the shot off the glass and in. The referees whistled Hornsby for taunting and assessed him with a technical foul.

"I just kind of stared down the guy, but it wasn't worth it," Hornsby admitted. "It's just a learning play so it won't happen again."

The Bombers couldn't capitalize on the opportunity, missing both free throws and giving the ball back to West. The play appeared to energize the Wolverines, spurring them to a run that pushed their lead to 26-20 heading into halftime.

Blackburn played a vital role in that all-important second quarter, draining back-to-back 3-pointers and finishing with 12 points in the half, which proved to be his entire scoring output on the night. The senior's defensive effort late in the game proved to be a key part of his team keeping the lead.

"I think we just needed to stay level-headed when we were out there," Blackburn said. "We got a little distracted, maybe. We did what we had to do and played tough."

With Hornsby on the bench, the Bombers rallied to pull ahead and take a small lead.

He came back later in the quarter, and his defensive presence combined with a last-second layup by Blackburn at the end the third pushed the Wolverines' lead to 36-32.

"I've just gotta work on the bad call situations where I just need to go ahead and go to the next play," Hornsby said.

Throughout the game, the Wolverines dealt with 6-foot-9, 264-pound senior David Wehmeyer, Mountain Home's center who proved to be a matchup problem with his size and strength. The Wolverines' man-to-man defense hounded Wehmeyer in the paint and made it difficult for entry passes from the Bombers' guards.

"We knew we were going to have enough depth to wear on him," White said. "For sure, 6-foot-9 is hard to stop, but we felt like we contained him, did a good job on him and got him in foul trouble."

What may have been Hornsby's most important play of the game came at the 4:48 mark in the final quarter when he drove in and forced drew from Wehmeyer, who picked up his fifth foul of the game.
