Cornell ends season with pair of league of matches

By Ginna Young To close out the regular season, the Cornell boys basketball program faced off with two strong opponents, very nearly taking the win in each bout. Feb. 20 vs. Clayton conference (L 66-49) The first game of the week was against Clayton, at home, which proved to be very close in the first half, with Cornell only down by four at the break. In the second half, Clayton started to pull away and the Chiefs couldn’t catch up, giving up the game, 66-49. Junior Carson Stipek came up big on the night, with 22 points, followed by senior Hunter Anders, who had 13. Sophomore Bryce DeJongh followed that with 7, with sophomore Eddie Woodford right behind, with 6 points, while sophomore Wesley Smith connected on a free throw. Feb. 21 vs. Bruce conference (L 88-64) Just a day later, the Chiefs were on the road at Bruce and the final score doesn’t show the whole picture. Cornell led by three points at halftime, but Bruce stepped up their game in the second part of the game, outscoring Cornell, to claim an 88-64 win. DeJongh led with 18 points, while junior Grady Abbott finished with 14 and Stipek was right behind, with 13. Anders followed that up with 9 points, Woodford had 8 and junior Easton Maier chipped in with 2. Cornell’s overall record is 1-22, while they are 1-15 in the East Lakeland Conference.