Colby suffers trio of defeats, drops to 3-13 this season

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Colby girls basketball team’s midseason slide extended to 10 games as the Hornets lost on the road Monday evening to the Stratford Tigers. They also fell in two Cloverbelt-East conference games last week, dropping a home game to Loyal after falling short on the road against Gilman.

Stratford, 62-37

The hosting Tigers never trailed in the non-conference matchup between Colby and Stratford on Monday evening, forcing 28 turnovers and eventually dealing the Hornets a 62-37 defeat.

While the visiting Colby squad was never able to claim the lead, they were able to keep the Tigers on their toes for much of the first period. A 10-0 run for Stratford allowed them to take a 15-5 advantage, but the Hornets rallied to bring themselves back within three points.

A three from Lucia Perez got the Hornets started and Brynn Polivka followed with another to edge the Hornets back into the contest. Angelique Hernandez added two free throws and a transition layup courtesy of Alexis Vanderhoof cut the Tigers’ lead down to a single possession at 18-15.

With under five minutes to play in the half, the Hornets still only trailed by three points, but Stratford’s offensive rebounding would start to come into play. The Tigers went on a 12-3 run to finish the period to take command of the once close game. During this key stretch, eight of Stratford’s 12 points were scored following an offensive rebound by the home team.

Colby managed to keep Stratford from extensively expanding that lead for the first half of the second period, but an 8-1 run for the Tigers sealed the game for the home team. Colby could never recover and was ultimately outscored 12-6 over the final moments of the game to fall 62-37.

Stratford turned 25 offensive rebounds into 17 points over the course of the contest while the Hornets managed just one secondchance point. Hernandez led the team with nine points, four assists and four steals. She was also second in rebounding, ending the game with six boards. Polivka and Vanderhoof put up eight points each and Polivka had eight rebounds. Dakota Hoeper had seven points and two blocks in her first game back for the Hornets, Perez finished with three points and Alia Hamus had two points.

Loyal, 55-29

The Hornets fell 55-29 to Cloverbelt-East foe Loyal at home last Friday evening. The loss was Colby’s sixth straight conference defeat and pushed them to 1-8 in such contests.

Loyal was able to play a relatively clean game, shooting 37.9 percent from the field while only committing eight personal fouls and giving up 18 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Hornets dominated the glass, grabbing 45 rebounds to the Greyhounds’ 31, but were not able to take advantage of the extra possessions. Colby had 36 turnovers, which turned into 33 points for the Greyhounds, allowing the visitors to distance themselves later in the first period.

A three-point shot from Brynn Polivka followed by two free throws courtesy of Lucia Perez gave the Hornets an early 7-5 lead. However, the game began to slip away from Colby over the seven minutes following Perez’s free throws.

The home team only made one of their five shot attempts over the stretch, with Lilly Brzezinski providing the only source of offense in the middle minutes of the period. What truly hurt the Hornets was the fact that they were not even given the opportunity to put up shots, as 11 of Colby’s 15 posses-

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sions ended in a turnover. The Greyhounds pounced on the opportunity, putting up 19 points and taking a commanding 24-9 lead.

That advantage held through halftime, with Loyal up 31-14 at the midway point, but the Hornets had the makings of a rally to start the second half.

Down 35-16, the Hornets went on a 9-3 run to pull back within 13 of their opponents. Harrison Schmitt started the scoring with a three-point shot and Angelique Hernandez scored six straight points for Colby as the tide briefly shifted in favor of the home team.

However, six of the next 10 possessions would end in turnovers for the Hornets and they would fail to score in the game’s final six minutes. The Greyhounds finished the game on a 17-4 run and came away with the season sweep of the Hornets.

Polvika led the team with seven points and Hernandez and Alexis Vanderhoof both had six points. Hernandez also had seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. Brzezinski led all players with 15 rebounds and scored five points, Schmitt had three points, and Perez finished with two points.

Gilman, 58-54

Colby nearly broke out of their current losing streak on the road last Thursday against conference foe Gilman, but the Pirates managed to hold on after a second half rally by the visiting Hornets to come away with the 58-54 win.

Eight three point shots over the course of the contest and coming up with double the steals of their opponents helped bring the Hornets back into the game, but Gilman’s consistency from inside the arc and ability to get to the free throw line pushed them over the edge.

After trailing by 10 at halftime, Colby fought back to take a 41-40 lead midway through the second period. Alia Hamus’s two free throws pushed the Hornets over the top and capped off a 10-3 run that started with a three-point shot from fellow sophomore Brynn Polivka. The Pirates responded with a quick 7-2 spurt that put them back on top, but a three from Lucia Perez and a free throw from Angelique Hernandez knotted the game at 47-47 with a little over three minutes left.

Gilman’s free throw shooting allowed them to pull away in the game’s final moments. The home team’s final nine points all came from the charity stripe, making all but one of their free throw opportunities. Polivka and Alexis Vanderhoof had three-point shots for the Hornets, but it was not enough to keep pace with the Pirates.

Colby had opportunities to pull away earlier in the contest, but 17 straight points for Gilman shifted the game in favor of the home team. Lilly Brzezinski’s layup gave the Hornets an 11-5 advantage after just three-anda- half minutes of play, but Gilman’s offense found its stride just as the visitors’ started to go cold. A seven-minute scoring drought for the Hornets was broken by a strong drive from Vanderhoof, but the Pirates had managed to take control of the contest in the meantime, going up 22-11 before the junior’s basket.

Polivka came out of the contest as Colby’s leading scorer and rebounder. All 15 of her points came from three-point shots and her eight rebounds were the most by any Hornet player. The sophomore also had a team-high four steals. Vanderhoof and Hernandez both had 11 points and the latter led the team with five assists. Brzezinski had five points, Hamus finished with four points and Perez and Harrison Schmitt had three points each. Brezlyn Boyer rounded out the scoring with two points.

The Hornets continue their campaign through the Cloverbelt-East with a matchup against the Greenwood Indians at home this coming Friday, Jan. 26. In their first meeting this season, the Indians came out on top, defeating Colby 63-43. If the Hornets hope to even the season series, they will likely have to limit Tatym Travis and Tysen Lindner, the Indians two top scorers. The Cloverbelt-East matchup is set for a 7:15 p.m. start.

SLICING TO THE BASKET - Alexis Vanderhoof tries to slip past her defender in the Hornets Thursday night game in Gilman. The junior had 11 points in the loss.

STAFF PHOTO/MATT FREY