Colby blasts Indians after pair of losses
By Nathaniel Underwood
After a lengthy break, the Colby Hornets boys basketball team was back in action this past week, getting a win over Cloverbelt-East foe Greenwood at home after falling to Marathon and Stanley-Boyd. The Hornets are now 2-4 this season.
Greenwood, 75-28
Behind a bevy of threes and a 54-point first half, the Hornets cruised to a 75-28 home victory over the Greenwood Indians on Tuesday night. Fourteen Colby players scored in the win, pushing the Hornets to 2-1 in the Cloverbelt-East conference.
The home team dominated from the outset, scoring on their first four possessions and going up 18-0 in the first three-anda- half minutes. Two baskets from Miguel Morillon and one each from Reed Fleischmann and Hayden Kaiser got Colby going early and the scoring didn’t stop there. After a single empty possession, the Hornets scored four straight times, with Landon Steinman and Tucker Hayes joining in on the action. A three from Fleischmann followed by a floater in the lane courtesy of Morillon forced Greenwood to call a timeout.
While the impressive efficiency for the Hornets slowed slightly, their defense continued to be stalwart. For the first nine minutes of the game, they held the Indians scoreless. By the time the visitors finally managed to get on the scoreboard, Colby had scored 35 points, securing their hold over the contest. A three from Kaiser immediately answered the Greenwood basket, and another 8-0 run for Colby all but finished the Indians.
By halftime, the Hornets held a 54-11 advantage, scoring nearly half of their first half points via shots from beyond the three-point line. Colby made eight three-point shots in the opening period, getting three from Fleischmann, two from Braiden Johnson, and one each from Kaiser, Cyler Pagelsdorf and Bryan Castillo.
The two teams battled back and forth in the opening of the second period, but the scoring pace slowed significantly over the final eight minutes of the game, with both teams combining to put up seven points. With the outcome never really in doubt, the slower pace suited the Hornets just fine, maintaining their 40-plus point advantage throughout the second half.
Fleischmann led all scorers with 13 points, Morillon added 11 of his own and Hayes and Johnson had eight points apiece. Kaiser finished with seven, Luke Hannula put together a sixpoint performance, and both Izaac Carrera and Xander Buchanan had four points at the end of the game. Steinman, Pagelsdorf, and Castillo all had three points, Brody Viegut and Rolyn Hopperdietzel had two points each and Devon Meyer rounded out the scoring with one point. Every player that came into the game for Colby scored at least once in the win.
Marathon, 75-62
The Hornets also invited Marathon into town on Monday for a non-conference matchup. The Red Raiders came out on
See COLBY BOYS BASKETBALL/ Page 16
FIGHTING THROUGH CONTACT - Tucker Hayes battles down in the post on Monday night against Marathon. STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
SEARCHING FOR A LANE - Luke Hannula tries to split the Red Raiders defense in the second period.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Colby boys basketball
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top in a tightly contested game, downing the hosting Colby squad 75-62.
While Marathon ultimately held a double-digit lead by the end of the contest, the final score did not perhaps indicate how close the game was for much of the evening. The Hornets had led at halftime and were within a possession with three minutes left in the contest. However, the Red Raiders closed out the game on a 15-5 run, using their three-point shooting and accuracy from the free throw line to pull away down the stretch.
The difference in execution shooting from beyond the arc and the free throw line played a big part in the final scoring line. Marathon made 11 three-point shots and shot 45 percent from deep, while the Hornets were held to just a trio of threes and shot 25 percent on such shots. The Red Raiders also made 14 of their 23 free throw attempts while Colby shot under 50 percent from the line, going 9-for-22.
Despite that, Colby managed to keep themselves in the game for much of the night. Eight different players scored for the Hornets in the first half as they rallied from an early seven-point deficit.
Down 18-11, Luke Hannula came up with back-to-back baskets and Brody Viegut added another on the next Hornet possession to bring Colby back within one point. While the Red Raiders three-point shooting was able to stave off the Hornet comeback momentarily, Colby kept up the pressure to remain in striking distance.
A fast break basket from Miguel Morillon cut Marathon’s lead back down to one with three minutes left in the half and Landon Steinman hit a three on the Hornets’ next trip down the court, giving Colby a 29-27 advantage. While the Red Raiders briefly regained their advantage, a jumper from Morillon and a three from Braiden Johnson had the Hornets ahead 34-33 at halftime.
Morillon and Reed Fleischmann combined to score the Hornets first 10 points of the second period to maintain their small advantage over the Red Raiders. However, the threepoint shooting for Marathon continued to be a problem for the home team and a shot from the Red Raiders’ Ean Shuda put them back up by one. Steinman knotted the game back up at 45-45, but another three from Marathon put them ahead for good.
The visitors were able to build a multiple possession lead and while a transition basket from Morillon brought the Hornets back within three points with just over four minutes left to play, the Red Raiders dominated the final stretch of the contest.
The Hornets did not help themselves either. Despite being in the bonus for the final eight minutes and the double bonus with six and a half left to play, Colby could not take advantage of the numerous free throw opportunities. They went 5for-15 from the free throw line in the final quarter of the game, leaving points on the table that would have changed the complexion of the game’s later moments.
Morillon had a game-high 19 points, shooting 9-for-19 from the field and collecting three assists and five steals. Fleischmann added 11 points and five rebounds and Tucker Hayes put up 10 points and four rebounds.
Steinman had a team-high six rebounds to go along with eight points and three steals, Hannula led the team with six steals and picked up seven points, four rebounds and three assists and Johnson finished with three points. Both Viegut and Hayden Kaiser had two points.
Stanley-Boyd, 67-56
Colby went on the road last Thursday evening, heading to Stanley-Boyd to take on the Cloverbelt-West Orioles. A sluggish shooting first period ultimately doomed the Hornets as they fell 67-56.
While the visiting Colby squad was able to outscore their hosts 35-34 in the second period, a first half performance where they put up 21 points was not enough for them to keep pace with the Orioles.
A pair of fast break baskets from Hayden Kaiser and Miguel Morillon put the Hornets ahead 6-4 early in the game, but Stanley-Boyd would control the next five minutes of the contest. The Orioles held Colby without a basket over the stretch and went on to score 14 unanswered points, growing an 18-6 advantage.
The Hornets went on a run of their own, scoring nine straight points to pull back within a possession of their opponents, but Stanley-Boyd’s Jackson Gindt hit a three that halted the Colby rally.
The Orioles went on to outscore the visiting Hornets 15-6 over the final stretch of the first half and then continued their strong scoring into the second period, pushing their lead out to nearly 20 points.
The Hornets’ press defense and improved shooting helped them get back into the game, turning steals into quick points and coming away with fewer empty possessions on the offensive side of the ball. With just over a minute left, a steal in the press defense led to a layup for Morillon that brought Colby back within two possessions, making the score 59-53.
Despite the furious comeback attempt by the Hornets, Stanely-Boyd managed to hold back the rally over the final 60 seconds and secure the win in the Cloverbelt-East/West contest.
The home team shooting 43 percent from three-point range while Colby made two of their 10 shots from beyond the arc plus a decent rebounding advantage for the Orioles looked to be difference makers when all was said and done.
Morillon had his best offensive performance of the season so far, shooting 10-for-17 from the field, putting up 25 points while collecting a team-high five assists. He also co-led the team in rebounds with four. Reed Fleischmann also reached double-digits for the Hornets, scoring 10 points himself, while Kaiser and Tucker Hayes had eight points each. Landon Steinman picked up four points and Luke Hannula finished with one.
PUSHING THE PACE - Reed Fleischmann quickly maneuvers around his Marathon defender as the Hornets try to rally late against the Red Raiders.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
