Playing on the road hasn’t fared too well for the Roswell Lady Hornets (16-12).

During the 2009-10 season, nine of the team’s 12 losses came away from their gymnasium including their most recent defeat, falling 58-50 at Norcross (24-4) in the opening round of the Class AAAAA Girls State Tournament.

“They’re (Norcross) such a good transition team and we let them get on a run,” said Roswell girls’ head coach Lesley Broadwell. “We had too many turnovers, but that’s a part of the game. My kids played hard and I’m proud of our effort.”

Although Norcross led throughout, the game was never out of reach for Roswell as the Lady Hornets trailed only 23-18 at the half.

However, in the third quarter, finding the basket became a difficult task for Roswell. Norcross’ stifling man defense and full court press blocked off all easy routes down the lane, which resulted in the home squad going up 43-28 to close the period.

Roswell did find some brief success in the fourth quarter; however, its defensive stops were far and few between as precious seconds evaporated off the clock. Norcross knocked down key free throw shots and sent the visiting Lady Hornets home for the season.

Junior guard Shelby Barker led her squad with 18 points. Senior backcourt mate Natalie Baine scored 14 points in the final game of her high school career.

Norcross’ top scorers included Kaela Davis, who poured in 22 points, Alex DeMercy with 12 and 2010 McDonald’s All-American Briana Jordan’s 10-point outing. Jordan is the daughter of former Atlanta Braves and Falcons player Brian Jordan.