Colby downs Athens, Gilman, falls to Tigers
By Nathaniel Underwood
A pair of wins against Athens and Gilman over the last week helped the Colby boys basketball team continue their journey back to .500. They also led Stratford at halftime, but a second-half surge for the Tigers pushed them past Colby. After going 2-1 in their last three games, the Hornets are now 6-8 overall and hold a 4-4 record in the Cloverbelt-East.
Athens, 71-58
Four Colby players finished with double- digits points on Monday evening as the Hornets picked up their third win in four games, defeating the visiting Athens Bluejays 71-58.
An 11-0 start for the home team gave them a significant early advantage. Miguel Morillon found Tucker Hayes under the basket for a quick score on the Hornets first time down the court and Colby scored on three of their first four possessions, getting a transition layup from Morillon and another field goal from Hayes. Landon Steinman then added a three-pointer to put the home team up nine and Reed Fleischmann outhustled the Athens defense for a fast break basket to cap off the run and force a timeout from the visiting Bluejays.
A free throw got the visitors on the board four minutes into the contest and Colby saw their opening lead begin to evaporate as Athens went on a 13-5 run of their own. Morillon went to work in the paint and found an opening to the basket to end the streak, but the Bluejays had recovered.
Athens kept themselves within striking distance for most of the half, largely matching the Hornets but unable to fully overcome the early hole they had found themselves in. Up 26-22, Colby finally managed some separation by going on an 8-1 run. A three from Steinman put his team back up by three possessions and Fleischmann followed it up by fighting for a tough basket in the paint. Hayden Kaiser then sank a shot from beyond the arc to put the Hornets up 34-23, recapturing their initial 11-point lead. By halftime, Colby still held a 37-28 advantage.
Just as they had started the game, Colby came out of the gates swinging in the second period. Morillon scored six straight points to start the half and the Hornets took their largest lead yet, going on a 13-3 run over the first four minutes.
The lead grew even more in the following minutes, reaching its peak when Morillon found Fleischmann in transition to put Colby up 54-33.
The Bluejays refused to go quietly into the night, however. They scored on six of their next seven possessions, scoring 16 points in four minutes and holding the Hornets scoreless over that stretch.
His team now nursing a five-point lead, Fleischmann finally stemmed the bleeding with a clutch corner three. The shot seemed to right the ship for Colby and a 10-1 run down the stretch for the Hornets helped them resecure their comfortable lead by the time all was said and done.
Morillon had 17 points, Steinman had 16, and Fleischmann had 15 and Hayes finished with 14, the spread demonstrating the balanced attack from Colby. Kaiser and Braiden Johnson had three points each, Colton Orth had two points and Luke Hannula rounded out the scoring with one point.
Stratford, 68-50
Colby hosted the Stratford Tigers for a non-conference matchup on Friday evening and while the Hornets had a slim lead heading into halftime, the visitors took control in the second period, ultimately downing their hosts 68-50.
Keeping leads in the second half has been something that the Hornets have struggled with all season. In the 14 games Colby has played thus far this season, they have led at halftime in 11 of them. However, they have seen that advantage slip away in the final 18 minutes five times, leading to a 6-8 record.
Friday night’s contest against Stratford saw a similar story play out. After battling neck-and-neck with the seventh-ranked team in the state in Division 4 and even holding a 28-27 lead heading into the locker rooms, the Tigers overwhelmed the Hornets in the second, their offense catching fire for 41 points while Colby fell six points short of their first half production.
A three-pointer from Hayden Kaiser in the final seconds of the first period put Colby ahead and a fast break basket for
See COLBY BASKETBALL/ Page 20
BATTLE ON THE BLOCKS - Tucker Hayes fights through contact as he looks to score in the second half against the Stratford Tigers. The senior had a team high 10 points in the loss.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
SURVEYING THE COURT - Luke Hannula goes to work against his defender while keeping an eye out for a teammate to pass to during last Friday’s game against Stratford.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Colby basketball
Continued from page 11 Luke Hannula to open the scoring in the second period gave his team a brief 30-27 lead. However, the Hornets could not extend their advantage beyond that.
A three from the Tigers on their next possession tied the game and while Colby managed to keep pace for the next few minutes, the offense would start to bog down just as Stratford’s found its stride.
A seven minute stretch over the middle minutes of the period shifted the game solidly in the visitors’ favor. Thanks in part to the suddenly hot three-point shooting of the Tigers, Stratford went on a 22 point scoring spree over this stretch. Meanwhile, the Hornets were held to just five points over this same timeframe. What was once a onepossession game suddenly turned into a 20-point deficit for the home team and Colby could not recover.
Tucker Hayes recorded a double-double performance as he led the Hornets in scoring and rebounds, finishing with 10 points and 11 boards. Hannula and Reed Fleischmann both had nine points each, the former bringing down five rebounds and the latter grabbing four. Miguel Morillon had six points, six rebounds and five assists, Kaiser had six points himself, and Landon Steinman finished with five points. Braiden Johnson and Izaac Carrera rounded out the scorers, putting up three and two points respectively.
Gilman, 73-56
The Hornets notched a season sweep of the Gilman Pirates by defeating their Cloverbelt-East foes 73-56 at home last Thursday. The Colby defense penned in the visitors over the first quarter of the contest, allowing them to build a significant lead that they maintained for the rest of the evening.
The Hornets dominated the boards, outrebounding Gilman 44-29, and shot an impressive 50 percent from the field, making 27 of their 54 field goal attempts. Meanwhile, they held their opponents to a shooting percentage of 35 percent.
Over the first eight minutes of Thursday night’s contest, the Pirates were stifled by a swarming defensive effort by Colby. Gilman managed just two points over this stretch, a lack of production that the Hornets took advantage of. A three from Landon Steinman put the home team up by double-digits at 13-2 after seven minutes of play and another three from Reed Fleischmann a few minutes later extended that lead out to 16.
Another Hornet three-point shot, this time from Braiden Johnson, gave Colby their biggest lead of the half at 25-6 with under six minutes to play. Gilman seemed to find their footing on offense over this final stretch but the Hornets still entered halftime with a 33-19 lead.
The Pirates hung around for the first half of the second, but a two-minute stretch midway through the period saw Colby outscore Gilman 10-3 to go up 60-38. This gave the Hornets the cushion they needed to cruise to their eventual 73-56 victory.
Eight Colby players scored in Thursday night’s win. Luke Hannula led the team with 16 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the field and adding seven rebounds. Fleischmann had a double-double, scoring 15 points while bringing down a team-high 12 rebounds. He also had three assists.
Tucker Hayes was extremely efficient for the Hornets on the offensive end of the court, going 5-for-6 on field goal attempts and recording 12 points. Johnson went 3for-5 from three-point range and came away with 11 points. Hayden Kaiser had eight points and Steinman put up five points and three assists.
Miguel Morillon led Colby with six assists and collected 10 rebounds while scoring four points and Izaac Carrera rounded out the scoring with two points.
SURROUNDED BY TIGERS - Landon Steinman looks to pass after drawing the defense into the paint.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
