Chieftains fall in week’s action against the league

By Ginna Young

It was a tough week for Lake Holcombe, as they battled two, fierce East Lakeland Conference opponents.

Jan. 30 vs. Clayton conference (L 68-55)

Welcoming Clayton to town to begin the week’s matches, Lake Holcombe got down early, facing a nine-point deficit at halftime. The Chieftains stepped up their efforts in the second half, evening the odds against the visiting Bears, but it wasn’t enough, as foul trouble piled up and time ran out.

Clayton ended up taking the win, 68-55. Junior Ryley Craker led for Lake Holcombe, with 15 points, while junior Brian Strzok was right behind, with 13. Senior Taye Yeager followed that with 8 points and junior Chase Burgess came next, with 7, with senior Trent Nitek and Emmit Johnson each adding 6 points.

Feb. 2 vs. Bruce conference (L 82-45)

A few days later, the Chieftains headed to Bruce, where it’s always a hard-fought game between the two on that court. What didn’t help, was an injury early on, which put a serious crimp in the offensive department for the Chieftains.

“ Lake Holcombe lost their point guard, Ryley Craker, just a few minutes into the game, with an achilles sprain, and they just couldn’t find a way to fill the void both offensively and defensively,” said coach Joy Webster.

The Chieftains were down by 22 points at halftime and even though they fared a little better in the second half, they were unable to catch up and the victory went to the Raiders, 82-45.

Strzok was the only Chieftain player to hit double digits, with 22 points, while Burgess followed with 9, and Yeager and sophomore Brody Miller chipped in with 5 points each. Nitek and freshman Connor Kane each added 2 points to round out the scoring.

Defensively, Burgess pulled down 5 rebounds, followed by Strzok, with 4, and Nitek led the team with 3 steals.

Lake Holcombe’s record is now 9-10 overall and they are 5-6 in conference play.