Hornor's passion includes digging for relics

NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF Caroline Hornor averages 8 points and 6 rebounds per game for Springdale Har-Ber, which plays at Fort Smith Northside tonight.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF Caroline Hornor averages 8 points and 6 rebounds per game for Springdale Har-Ber, which plays at Fort Smith Northside tonight.

SPRINGDALE -- Caroline Hornor doesn't mind the dirty work, whether she's fighting for position under a basketball goal or digging for relics on another continent.

Hornor's passion is archaeology, which is the study of ancient civilizations. Instead of spending summers at the lake or on the beach, like most teenagers, Hornor is happy sifting through sand and mud for signs of life from cultures long ago.

Caroline Hornor

School: Springdale Har-Ber

Class: Junior

Position: Forward

Height: 5-10

Notable: Averages nearly 8 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. … Led Har-Ber with 13 points in overtime win against Fort Smith Southside. … Loves to travel and has been out of the country numerous times. … Hopes to become an archaeologist after completing her education.

"I'm crazy about artifacts, especially from Roman and Greek history," said Hornor, a junior at Springdale Har-Ber. "Instead of gifts at Christmas, my parents give us trips. I love to travel, and I've been to Rome, Ireland, Peru and a lot of places in Mexico. I'm going back to Rome on spring break, actually."

In the meantime, Hornor spends a lot of her time on the basketball court as a starting forward for Har-Ber (14-4, 4-1), which continues 7A-West Conference play tonight at Fort Smith Northside. Hornor (5-foot-10) had one of her best games last week to help Har-Ber to a 52-50 victory in overtime over Fort Smith Southside. Hornor led Har-Ber with 13 points and opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play. After Jacie Higgins tied the game with a 3-pointer, Hornor scored two quick goals in overtime to give Har-Ber a 48-44 lead.

For the season, Hornor is averaging eight points and six rebounds per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor. She's a banger inside who also displayed some athleticism with a reverse, over-the-head layup against Southside.

"Caroline gives it 100 percent every second she's on the court," Har-Ber coach Sandy Wright said. "She's tough. I wouldn't say she's ornery, but she's got a good swagger to her."

Har-Ber needs Hornor's swagger, especially, to take some of the pressure off Bailey Schalk, the Lady Wildcats' top player. Hornor picked up the slack against Southside after Schalk was held to eight points and Paige Redmond, Har-Ber's leading scorer from last year, was limited to one point on a free throw in the fourth quarter.

"I work with Bailey a lot, and she and coach Wright have both helped me," said Hornor, who took the summer off from basketball to rest her body. "I definitely need to still work on my balance. I need to turn and square up to the goal a little better to get off a good shot."

Har-Ber will receive a big road test tonight at Northside, home to the top girls basketball program in the state. The Lady Bears (18-1, 4-1) led from start to finish while beating Springdale High, 69-49, last Friday.

"I haven't played there, but it's probably like playing at Fayetteville, which is tough," Hornor said.

Fayetteville leads the league with Har-Ber and Northside a game back in the standings. The Lady Wildcats are hoping for a strong finish into the state tournament, which Har-Ber will host.

After the season, Hornor's focus will return to archaeology and the places in the world she's yet to discover.

"It would come down to three places, actually," Hornor said of the country atop her bucket list. "It would be hard to pick between Greece, Brazil or Spain. Maybe Spain because I haven't experienced a lot of that culture yet outside of the country."

Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@nwadg.com or on Twitter at @NWARick

Sports on 01/27/2015

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