4-game losing skid comes to a halt
By Harry Toufar The Loyal Greyhounds boys basketball team had been riding high until they went into a tailspin, losing four straight games, three of those by a total of six points. It was gut check time as they welcomed the Athens Blue Jays to town on Friday night. Baskets by Cain Toufar and Hunter Walter got the ball rolling and they never looked back. The Hounds held Athens scoreless for three and a half minutes. Athens cut the margin in half, but that would be the closest they would get. Parker Smith tossed in a 3-pointer followed by another Toufar basket giving the Hounds a 7-point lead. The Blue Jays scored, but the Hounds countered with Smith (a 3-pointer) and Toufar (a 2-pointer.) Athens scored again before Rhett Lamovec took over scoring two baskets and hitting both free throws after being fouled, giving Loyal an 8-point lead. While Athens could only muster two free throws, Reed Stieglitz dropped in a 3-pointer and a 2-pointer. Lamovec scored again pushing the Hounds' lead to 13. Athens was finally able to string some points together closing the half with a 6-0 run, sending them in to the locker room down by seven.
The Blue Jays might have thought they had some momentum coming out for the second half, but Loyal squished that thought as Bryce Deegan and Stieglitz both hit 3-pointers extending their lead to 13 points. Athens made a basket and two free throws before Walter, Stieglitz, and Toufar scored, pushing the lead to 20 points. After Athens managed a basket and a free throw, Carson Prein and Stieglitz scored. Athens ran off seven points before Stieglitz drained two free throws, giving the Greyhounds a solid 53-37 victory.
Lamovec and Stieglitz (each with two 3-pointers) led the Hounds in scoring with 14 points each. Toufar joined them in the double figure column with 10 points. Parker Smith netted six points (two 3-pointers). Other scorers were Hunter Walter (4), Deegan (3-pointer) and Prein (2). The Greyhounds took advantage of their height by controlling the boards. Toufar (8), Lamovec (6), Deegan (5), and Walter (4) led the way.
Loyal hits the road for its next four contests. On Feb. 4, they played at Neillsville, followed by a game at Greenwood on Thursday. On Friday, they will travel to Marshfield to take on the Columbus Catholic Dons. They finish the road trip as they travel to Auburndale to take on the 15-1 Auburndale Eagles, currently ranked number four in Division 4.
