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Hornets fall in regional title tilt

Hornets fall in regional title tilt Hornets fall in regional title tilt

Hornets enjoy best season in over a decade

There won’t be any hardware in the trophy case, or numbers on the banners, to commemorate this season. But that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a season worth celebrating or remembering.

The 2021-22 edition of the Colby Hornets boys basketball proved itself one of the best in program history, and will be remembered for a long time after they went 17-8, their best mark since the 2011-12 season.

That season, ten years now gone, was also the last time Colby played in a WIAA D-4 regional title game. Colby would lose a 50-48 heartbreaker to eventual state tournament participant Colfax, and on Saturday, it appears that Colby once again has lost to a state qualifier in the number three ranked Iola-Scandinavia Thunderbirds.

That Colby was even in that match was a product of their fight and never-say-die attitude. The Hornets found themselves in a dogfight the night before, playing on the road in a classic four versus five seed match against the Auburndale Eagles.

Colby handily defeated Abbotsford at home in the regional quarterfinals two days prior, but the Hornets knew the Eagles were a cut above most teams, and if they were to advance and keep their season alive for two more halves, they’d need to execute at a high level.

“We just need to do what we’ve been doing all season and I think we can come out ahead,” junior guard Mateo Lopez said in the aftermath of Colby’s 82-64 triumph over the Falcons. “Just got to come out fast, shooting good, finish our lay-ups and play some good defense.”

Colby deviated from that formula in the first half, but rediscovered it in time to pull off a stunning come-from-behind victory over the Eagles.

The Hornets were down by as much as 14 points in their regional semi-final, and much of those problems stemmed from a sluggish first half.

Colby held a slim 11-9 lead midway through the first half, but appeared out of sorts at times. Only Tevin Rue and Richard Streveler scored more than one once from the first floor in the first half.

The Eagles weren’t much better, but several triples fell their way, and they began to slowly pull away from Colby. A last second basket by Alex Willfahrt just before the break gave Auburndale a 31-20 advantage going into the final half.

Colby seemed destined for a grim ending throughout the start of the second half. The Hornets could not even manage to score five points through the first five minutes, trailing the Eagles 36-24 with 12:30 to play.

“At halftime we were really just trying to stay positive,” senior point guard Richard Streveler said. “We knew we should have been winning at half, so we just tried to bring the energy in the second.”

The only thing that was keeping the Hornets in the game at this point was their defense, with Colby forcing several turnovers or poor shot selection. So it was no surprise the defense became the key to Colby’s offense in the second half.

“Coach really stressed running and gunning on defense and offense, and it worked out,” Streveler said.

But first, the Eagles stretched their lead out to 44-30 with back to back threes from Lucas Yeske and Caden Weinfurter.

It was then Colby decided they had seen enough. Tevin Rue provided the heat check, canning a pair of triples that snapped nothing but nylon. Brody Decker also splashed a trey, and Colby began to claw back in the game.

With eight minutes to play, and down 49-36, the Hornets made their move.

Streveler hit a pair of tough, turn around jumpers, Lopez cut inside for two, and a steal and transition bucket by Streveler cut the lead down to 49-40. The Hornets scrappy defense succeeded in forcing four straight turnovers, and after being quiet through the first ten minutes, put together a massive scoring run of 24-7 over the final eight minutes.

Streveler hit a turn around jumper right in the face of two defenders, tying the game at 53-53 with less than three minutes to play. The Hornets forced more stops, and Streveler came up with another clutch basket, scoring from mid-range to give Colby its first lead since early in the first half at 55-53.

Auburndale missed a three pointer, and Colby recovered, forcing the Eagles to foul Colby. Caden Healy converted a free throw to make it a two possession game at 57-53. The Eagles weren’t done yet. With less than twenty seconds to go, Weinfurter dialed up a deep three to make it 57-56.

Colby inbounded the pass, giving it to Streveler, who was fouled and stepped up to the line to shoot a pair of free throws.

“I walk up to the line and I’m going ‘This is the moment I dream about my whole life.’ I got up there, told myself to take a breath, and put these in, and I just put them in,” Streveler said.

While his heart was pounding, Streveler’s arms were steady and his shots were true. He sunk both free throws, eliciting a roar of approval from the Colby faithful who had made the trip.

The Eagles put up one last desperation three, but it failed to go in. Lopez recovered the ball, was fouled, and sunk a free throw to give Colby the 60-56 victory, sending the Hornets to the regional title game for the first time in a decade.

69-50

If the Colby Hornets were to defeat the Thunderbirds on Saturday, they were going to have to be perfect. Unfortunately for Colby, they were only near perfect.

The Hornets were in a regional title game for the first time since the 2011-12 season, but Colby was more than ready to battle the third ranked Thunderbirds on the big stage.

Iola-Scandinavia came in with a 25-0 record, and that included a 63-30 thrashing of the Marathon Red Raiders, a squad Colby had lost to by nearly 30 points earlier in the year.

“We just gotta bring the energy we brought in the second half,” Streveler had said after the victory over the Eagles. “We do that, and we’re coming home with a plaque.”

The Hornets brought the energy, holding the Thunderbirds in check for the first half, limiting Iola-Scandinavia to just 25 points. It was an impressive defensive feat considering they have six players over 6’3” in their line-up, including 6’8” Brock Wester.

The Thunderbirds returned the favor limiting Colby to just 23 rebounds. Stout defense kept them Colby in the hunt, and it was only 9-4 with 12:00 to play. Brody Decker, Kaden Wiese and Brandon Voelker hit three triples to make it 13-12 with 9:14 left in the half.

Iola-Scandinavia answered, then pulled away late in the frame, thanks to turnovers and errant shots from the Hornets. After one half Colby was down 25-19, but had sent a stern message - they were prepared to fight.

The Hornets kicked off the first half with a Decker three ball that made it 27-22, but the Thunderbirds responded, hitting their own deep shots to go up 36-22 with 13:41 remaining.

Another Decker three snapped a 4:36 scoring drought, and Rue snapped off another three to pull within single digits at 37-28 with 10:36 to play.

But for every shot Colby made, the Thunderbirds had to answer. To make matters worse, Colby struggled to convert its free throws, finishing eight of 15 on their trips to the charity stripe.

Fouls and turnovers and missed buckets began to pile up for Colby, and Iola-Scandinavia began to turn the screws on the Hornets, never scoring in bunches, but methodically piling up the points, as four Thunderbirds scored in double figures, with Kaden Jueds scoring 16 and Parker Prahl and Isaiah Hoyard adding 13 apiece.

Colby continued to fight, relying on their scrappy defense to force turnovers. A Richard Streveler steal and lay-up was followed by a Streveler three to pull the Hornets to 45-41 with 5:47 left in regulation.

This was as close as the Hornets would get to moving to equal footing. Iola-Scandinavia found ways to score while holding Colby in check. With two minutes to go, the Thunderbirds were 117238

firmly in control, holding a 58-48 lead.

The Hornets had no choice but to foul to regain possession of the ball, helping Iola-Scandinava pad their lead for an eventual 69-50 victory.

With the loss, the season came to an end for Colby, but the Hornets can hold their heads up high after finishing 17-8 on the year, their best mark since that 2011-12 season.

Brody Decker was sensational in his final game with Colby, converting five of his eight three point attempts to score a game high 17 points.

Streveler struggled for much of the night, going just four of 19 on his field goals, but he still managed to finish 11 points, capping off an excellent career that was less than 70 points shy of 1,000 points.

Tevin Rue added eight points, Lopez had five and Brandon Voelker, Caden Healy and Kaden Wiese all scored three apiece. With the loss, Colby bids goodbye to their senior class, and Brayden Boyer, Carson Rau, Brandon Voelker, Richard Streveler and Brody Decker leave a strong legacy behind.

“These seniors are pretty special,” Lopez said after the Abbotsford game. “Richard, Brody, Brandon, Boyer and Carson are a really good group of guys.

“They’ve been inspirational, and always push us in practice every day. I’m really going to miss these guys.”


SPRINGS IN HIS LEGS -Mateo Lopez beats his man to score a quick bucket during Colby’s game with the Eagles. STAFF PHOTOS/ROSS PATTERMANN
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