Colby boys basketball

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Rib Lake opted to slow the pace of their offensive sets over the final minutes of the game, hoping to drain the clock and limit the number of possessions the Hornets would have. The strategy almost backfired, as Fleischmann made three free-throws and Miguel Morillon followed with a three-pointer from the corner to pull the Hornets back within one.

The 8-0 rally was not quite enough for Colby, however, as Rib Lake came up with two consecutive scores to pull away once more. A basket underneath from Tucker Hayes made it a 53-50 game with under ten seconds left, but the Hornets were not able to come up with a steal on the final possession of the game and Rib Lake was able to come out with the victory.

The Hornets also had to rally from a 13 point deficit in the first half. Down 27-14 with six minutes left in the period, Colby went on a 14-3 run to draw back within two. Morillon led the charge, hitting two three-pointers and contributing eight points to bring the Hornets back into the fold.

Tucker Hayes ended the night with 14 points, tying his season-high, and six rebounds to lead the Hornets in the two categories. Morillon added 11 points and five assists and Joseph Streveler also had 11 points and seven assists. Fleischmann had five points and four rebounds, Adrian Lopez had five points and five rebounds and Jaxon Polvika added four points.

Neillsville, 71-70

The Hornets were moments away from taking an important Cloverbelt victory on the road over the Neillsville Warriors last Thursday. A desperate heave from Neillsville’s Bryce Erickson seized that win away, however, as the shot from near half court ricocheted off the backboard and through the basket as time expired. The last-second three-pointer gave the Warriors the 71-70 win and dealt Colby their second consecutive conference loss.

Thursday evening’s battle had implications for the top of the Cloverbelt-East conference. Both the Hornets and the Warriors came into the contest with 4-1 conference records, putting them just behind conference leader Columbus Catholic and needing a win to try to keep pace with the Dons.

The two clubs were well matched, as indicated by both the final score and some of the key statistics. Colby held a slim advantage in rebounds (32 to 30), shooting percentage (46.2 percent to 41.5 percent), and three-point shots made (12 to nine), but the Warriors won the turnover battle (18 to 12) and created almost double the steals (11 to five).

Adrian Lopez had a career night for the Hornets, putting up 31 points in the loss. The senior guard shot 11for-15 from the floor, including an impressive 7-for-10 from three-point range. Joseph Streveler added another double-double to his resume as he added 13 points and 10 rebounds as the Hornets second offensive option. He also had six assists and three steals for a solid all-around performance.

After falling behind 33-27 in the first period, the Hornets’ offense came alive in the second half. Colby put up 43 points in the last 18 minutes of the contest and had seemingly done enough to complete the comeback over their conference rivals. However, Erickson’s shot in the game’s final moments was just enough to steal away the win and claim sole possession of second place for the Warriors.

It was the second straight game between the two squads that went right down to the wire. Last year, the Hornets were able to sneak away with a 60-58 victory in Neillsville as the Warriors missed a shot on their final possession.

Reed Fleischmann also scored in double digits, putting up 12 points while going 4-for-8 shooting. Tucker Hayes added five points and Miguel Morillon, Jaxon Polivka and Landon Steinman all had three points. Polivka had seven rebounds and Steinman brought down six boards.

BREEZING BY THE DEFENSE - Adrian Lopez takes the ball to the hoop on Monday night. He nearly put the Hornets on top the week prior, scoring 31 points against Neillsville.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD