Colby now 3-0 in Cloverbelt action
Every coach wonders about a team’s response after a tough loss, and after dropping a close game to Athens the week before, the Hornets could have easily come out flat this week.
Thankfully, Colby head coach Jimmy Flink had little worry about on Thursday, Dec. 9, after his Hornets took care of business against a young and inexperienced Gilman squad.
The Hornets got off to a blistering start, scorching the nets with their best shooting performance of the season. Colby shot over 50 percent from the floor, converting on 34 of 61 shots, including seven of 18 from three.
Colby stormed out of the gates in the first half, lighting up the scoreboard early and often. The Hornets defense held Gilman to just 11 points, and Colby came into the second half with a 55-11 lead.
Colby played the second half with the majority of its starters sitting, and Colby continued to flourish, holding Gilman to a mere seven points in the last stanza.
With a running clock in place for the second half, the Hornets put up another 33 points as six players were in double figures. Colby pushed its Eastern Cloverbelt record to 2-0, and overall record to 2-1 with their 88-18 road win over Gilman.
Senior guard Richard Streveler led the charge, scoring 16 points on seven of 13 shooting. Brody Decker and Joe Streveler both finished with 13 points each. Decker had a team high eight rebounds.
Tevin Rue, Brandon Voelker and Kaden Wiese all finished in double figures, scoring eleven points apiece. Wiese nabbed a team high five steals and dished out a team high six assists.
Carson Rau added another eight points, Nathaniel Robida had four points and Eddie Ortega scored one point.
Greenwood, 91-36
It’s been a year since the last time the Colby Hornets hosted the Greenwood Indians for a basketball game. That last game saw Greenwood pull away late in the first half off a Cooper Bredlau buzzer beater from the Hornets logo.
The Hornets barely cracked 50 points in that game, losing 70-53, but the second time around, Colby dropped over 50 points on Greenwood in the first half alone of their Tuesday, Dec. 14 meeting.
The Indians are in a state of rebuild, and lost multiple seniors to graduation, but there was little in the way of Greenwood fireworks, like a half-court buzzer beater. Instead it was all fizzle and no pop.
Colby’s speed and shotmaking was too much for Greenwood, who played as if their heads were on swivels as the Hornets weaved through traffic for lay-ups, or splashed shots from Down Town.
Brody Decker and Mateo Lopez did a bit of both, with Lopez nailing one trey in the first half, but mostly spinning through traffic as he scored a game high 20 points against Greenwood, with 15 of those coming in the first frame.
Decker wasn’t far behind, connecting on three triples in the first half, and scoring 17 points on the night. Senior guard Richard Streveler also totalled 17 points against Greenwood, and by the time the two teams headed to their respective locker rooms the Hornets held an insurmountable 58-22 advantage.
Colby allowed just 14 points in the final frame. The Hornet’s offense continued to click, and it was a collection of Colby boys that did the damage.
Eight different Hornets scored in the final frame, and Colby added another 33 points as a running clock was implemented in the second half.
Tevin Rue was the fourth Hornet to score double digits, finishing with 10 points. Brandon Voelker added six, and Kaden Wiese, Joe Streveler and Nathaniel Robida all had five points apiece. Carson Rau and Eli Schmitt rounded things out with three points.
Colby will have a chance to maintain a perfect record in conference play when they host the Loyal Greyhounds this Friday. Tip off is at 7:15 p.m.
ON THE BALL -Colby’s Brandon Voelker, left, and Caden Healy, right double team Athens’ Kody Lepak on Monday, Dec. 6. STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN
