WILLARD — The high school basketball season came to an end for a group known as “the tater team,” Tuesday in the playoffs.
Back-to-back district champion Hillcrest lost 52-41 to Carl Junction in the Class 4 girls basketball sectional playoffs at Willard High School. No. 4-ranked Carl Junction last won a district championship in 2006, while Hillcrest returned three starters from a team that finished in fourth place in 2015.
The Hornets gained some notoriety as an odd job squad in the summer of 2015. Hillcrest planned a trip to Orlando, Florida to play in a tournament, but that meant each player needed to pay their own way by raising approximately $1,000 each.