The Forrest Lady Rockets suffered a devastated blow when senior standout Carissa Curtis tore her ACL prior to the season.

With the loss of Curtis, gone was 14.7 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, and 2.4 steals per game by the Freed-Hardeman University signee who finished her Forrest career with 1,266 points.

“She's (Curtis) a valuable part of our team and a fantastic teammate, but it is an opportunity for our team to gain valuable playing experience that they will need the rest of the year,” Forrest coach Corey Bishop. “We have players navigating new roles that they are getting used to.”

“This is a process oriented business and not a results business. We are going to improve. I have complete confidence in that.”

Laura Mealer is the now the lone senior on the court and the Lady Hornets swarmed the talented Lady Rocket swing player all night.

Mealer was in high gear the entire contest as she still scored 10 points in a 56-42 loss.

“Laura Mealer played one of her best games I've seen her play,” Bishop said. “Led the team, hustled, and brought intensity.”

“Her athleticism is unique and she's only going to cause more problems for teams as we progress.”

Junior guard Addison Bunty picked up a big portion of the scoring load with a team-high 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and sophomore guard Macyn Kirby also had a solid 2020 debut with 11 points and also threw down a pair of long bombs.

“We thought Addison and Macyn played great,” Bishop said. “They are both quick guards that can cause problems on both ends of the floor.’

“We were definitely encouraged by their play, and they are two players we think will help us the rest of the year.”

Senior Anna Stevenson had a huge night for the Lady Hornets, pouring in a game-high 23 points with three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.

The Lady Hornets stung the home team early, jumping out to a 10-0 lead before Forrest finally got on the board with a Mealer free throw at the 4:58 mark of the stanza.

The Lady Rockets clawed back, cutting the Huntland lead to 12-7 on a late Kirby 3-pointer before Asyia Williams canned a buzzer beating 3-pointer to give the Lady Hornets a 15-7 lead.

A Bunty trey midway through the second quarter made it a five-point game at 21-16 before Huntland put together a 9-2 run to end the first half with a 30-18 lead.

With five minutes remaining in the third period, the Lady Hornets led but 13 points, but a Bunty 3-pointer and Mealer bucket in the low post made it an eight-point contest.

Huntland went to the fourth period up by 10 points.

Mealer scored on a backdoor play to open the fourth quarter as Forrest scratched and clawed to stay in the game and trailed by nine points moments later before Huntland took care of business, ending the game with a 12-7 run to take the win.

“This team is going to play hard, that's a non-negotiable,” Bishop said. “They are going to rebound and play defense for 32 minutes. The only thing we see that this team needs is experience. These are practice games in my eyes. We are playing for February and March.”

Huntland 15 15 12 14-56

Forrest 7 11 14 10-42

Huntland (56): Anna Stevenson 23, Asyia Williams 8, Brooklyn Morris 7, Logan McClennan 6, Kani Riley 5, Ashtyn Danley 4, Bailey Morris 2, Maddox Golden 1.

Three-Point Goals (5): Stevenson 3, McClennan, Williams.

Free Throws (16-for-34): Danley 4-for-4, Brooklyn Morris 4-for-6, Riley 3-for-7, Stevenson 2-for-6, Williams 1-for-3, Golden 1-for-3, McClennan 1-for-2, Jacy May 0-for-2, Bailey Morris 0-for-1.

Forrest (42): Addison Bunty 12, Macyn Kirby 11, Laura Mealer 10, Alex Davenport 3, Sam Hopkins 2, Meagan Mealer 2, Carli Warner 2.

Three-Point Goals (6): Bunty 2, Kirby 2, Davenport, Laura Mealer.

Free Throws (14-for-25): Bunty 4-for-7, Laura Mealer 3-for-6, Kirby 3-for-4, Hopkins 2-for-2, Warner 2-for-2, Ryann Lewis 0-for-2, Julie Eddy 0-for-2.

Halftime Score: Huntland 30, Forrest 18.