Hornets outlast Orioles, Greyhounds
Colby boys above .500, win 2 of 3
After falling to the Red Raiders at home on Thursday, the Hornets quickly bounced back to defeat the Stanley-Boyd Orioles and Eastern Cloverbelt rival Loyal at home on Monday to move to 7-5 on the year and 3-3 in league play.
Marathon, 76-45
Only eight points separated Colby from Marathon at halftime. It was an encouraging sign for Colby, given that Brent Jeske was still out of the line-up with injury, and coach Jimmy Flink praised his players for their first half efforts.
“I was very happy with our team effort in the first half,” Flink said. “We missed a lot of lay-ups in the first half, so to be down by just eight at halftime, I was pretty happy overall with how we played.”
Colby took the early initiative against Marathon, with Mason Schmutzler finding gaps in the Red Raiders zone defense to help the Hornets open on a 7-2 run.
The Red Raiders quickly responded with their inside-outside game. Matt VandeBoo, who scored a game high 19 points against Colby, knocked down a pair of threes, Brock Warren and Mike Hahn both scored 10 on the night, mostly from shots in the paint.
Brody Decker, Tucker Meyer, Jaden Underwood and Caden Healy all hit multiple buckets to keep Colby in the hunt, but those missed lay-ups gave Marathon a 33-25 advantage at the break.
It would not stay this close for long. The Red Raiders hit seven shots from Down Town in the last stanza, but a Richard Streveler three kept things close at 38-30 with 14:49 to play.
But the Colby offense went flat just as the Red Raiders offense began to soar. Colby got away from its post game, and began to attempt to trim the deficit with threes, but Streveler and Kaden Wiese were the only Hornets to nail a three.
“Coming out in the second half I thought we did an OK job, but then all of a sudden, I think we just went rogue and did not stick to the game plan.”
It wasn’t all Colby’s fault, Flink said, noting how well the Red Raiders, who are 13-3 on the year, are playing.
“Marathon, they’re always good just because they are very fundamental. They focus on that when they are on the court, and tonight our guys - they have the tendencies to be helter-skelter at times.”
The Red Raiders closed out the second half on a 30-8, handing Colby back to back losses for just the second time this season. Tucker Meyer led Colby with 10 points and Caden Healy scored seven.
Schmutzler and Streveler scored six apiece, Jaden Underwood added five and Brody Decker finished with four points. Wiese contributed three points and Chase Oehmichen and Lucas Karl rounded things out with one apiece.
71-63
The Hornets had little time to dwell on their loss to Maraton, as they played Stanley-Boyd the next night. It was a rather impromptu game that came at the last minute, but Colby made the most of the opportunity to play on Friday, snapping their two game losing streak.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Hornets, who found themselves in a 35-27 point hole at the start of the second half, but when push came to shove, Colby was the stronger team down the stretch.
The Hornets rallied behind a strong statement game from Jaden Underwood, who dropped a career high 22 points on the Orioles, blistering the nets from all corners of the court.
Underwood hit on an efficient eight of ten from the floor, including three of four from Down Town. Richard Streveler and Caden Healy were powerful compliments to Underwood’s career night, scoring 14 and 11 points.
Streveler made a living from the charity stripe, converting nine of ten free throw attempts, while Healy had another double-double, pulling down 13 rebounds.
Colby surged ahead in the second half off the back of these performances, outscoring Stanley-Boyd 44-28 in the final period to earn their sixth win of the season.
Brandon Voelker pitched in with nine points, Brody Decker added eight points, Tucker Meyer had six points and Mason Schmutzler chipped in with one point.
Loyal, 58-48
It’s been a long time since the Loyal Greyhounds have played a game. In fact, Colby’s home game with Loyal on Monday night was the first time the Greyhounds have played all January.
The last game Loyal did play was a 66-64 win over Owen-Withee on Dec. 29, and Loyal was more than happy to get out and play Colby, and it certainly showed.
“We started out the game a little back and forth, then switched it up the press and got up by a big lead,” Colby coach Jimmy Flink said. “Then Loyal made some adjustments, we got sloppy with the ball, and Loyal made a run.”
The Greyhounds relied on the one-two punch of Daymain Baird and Kaden Olson to forge ahead for a 24-22 lead. Baird led all players with 22 points and Olson had ten, but Colby’s defense turned Loyal into a two-man show, as no other Greyhound scored more than eight points.
The Hornets made their move in the second half, stepping up their ball pressure, forcing Loyal into careless turnovers that led to run-outs. Richard Streveler and Brandon Voelker led the comeback effort, with Streveler going a perfect five of five on free throws.
Flink was especially happy with a pair of players who didn’t light up the scoreboard, but made big plays in other ways.
“I thought Brody Decker and Tucker Meyer did an excellent job in the second half. They played very big minutes.”
Meyer and Decker are more used to scoring and handling the ball as members of the JV and C-team, but their biggest growth has come as facilitators.
“Whenever they played they were always the high scorers, now they’re asked to play a different role - more defense and more rebounding. I know all players want to score, but what they did tonight was very important and led to the win.”
Colby out-scored their Eastern Cloverbelt rivals 36-24 to pick up back to back victories for the second time this season.
Streveler led Colby with 21 points and Volker added 12. Caden Healy, who Flink described as “double-double machine” had 10 points. Jaden Underwood had six points.
Tucker Meyer scored four, Mason Schmutzler added three. Brent Jeske added two, though he left early in the first half with another ankle injury.
Jeske’s loss is a blow to the Hornet’s upcoming postseason, but each night Flink is seeing different players step up.
“Every single game I really don’t know who our leading scorer is going to be,” Flink admitted.
“I think that has to do a lot with how unselfish our team is. As a coach, that’s what you want to see because it makes us more dangerous.”
DOUBLE-DOUBLE -Caden Healy puts up a shot against Marathon. Healy has multiple double-doubles in 2021. STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN
