Chiefs pecked by Falcons, dominate over the Warriors

Facing off against two tough East Lakeland Conference opponents over the week, the Cornell boys basketball squad hosted both match-ups.

Jan. 19 vs. Flambeau conference (L 64-45)

The visiting Falcons racked up more points on the scoreboard over the Chiefs in the first half, but Cornell refused to give up, even down by 37-21.

“We played two halves against Flambeau,” said coach Marcus Leland. “We started the game out pretty hot, but had a bad stretch in the middle of the first half. We didn’t give up though and continued to get some good looks in the second half.”

Scoring was more evenly matched in the second half, 27-24 in Flambeau’s favor, but time ran out for the Chiefs to catch up and the game went to the visiting team, 64-45.

Leading the way for Cornell, was sophomore Dylan Bowe, with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Senior Davis Harshman was right behind, with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals.

Senior Austin Bowe came next, with 10 points and 5 steals, while sophomore Blake Anders added 4 points. Sophomore Dawson Munson and freshman Daniel Person each chipped in with 2 points.

“This was a much more complete game for us,” said Leland.

Jan. 21 vs. Winter conference (W 55-29)

Two days later, the Winter Warriors came to call, with the first half very different for the Chiefs, than the last game.

“We were able to build up a decent lead in the first half and maintain it through the whole game,” said Leland.

Cornell went into halftime up by 22 points and while the score was much closer in the second half, the Chiefs held on to their big lead, walking away with the victory, 55-29.

Defensively, the Chiefs had good positioning, limiting the second-chance opportunities for Winter, while on the offensive side, Cornell executed and finished their shots.

“Very good effort out of the boys last night,” said Leland. “This was a complete effort by us on both ends of the court.”

D. Bowe again led, with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals, followed by A. Bowe, with 15 points, 2 assists and 2 steals. Harshman ended the night with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

Sophomore Avery Turany added 6 points, 5 rebounds and 6 steals, while Person finished with 4 points and sophomore Jack Blaisdell chipped in with 1 point.

Anders helped the team out with 5 rebounds and senior Jake Sikora had 4 rebounds.

Cornell’s record now improves to 2-10 overall and 2-5 in the conference.

“We have been playing much better basketball as of late,” said Leland, “and it was great to see it culminate with a good victory against a team who beat us earlier in the year.”