ples, the Hornets began to ….
ples, the Hornets began to turn the tide, making it 40-40 with under three minutes in regulation.
The Falcons inexperience began to show, and with the game up for grabs, made mistakes in the back court and half court - turning the ball over or settling for deep shots.
“Towards the end when we were up six points, we were still looking for those three pointers when we had open looks in the lane that we could have easily taken a lay-up or drawn a foul. We are inexperienced, so we are still breaking a lot of bad habits.”
The Hornets closed out the game with a 13-5 run, with Abby’s last three points coming from Clement’s free throws with one second left in regulation.
Abby attempted the steal, but could not get it, and Colby won 45-43 to extend their overall record to 5-1, and win streak to five as Abby moves to 2-6 on the season.
Vollrath added seven points in the victory and Brooke Suckow collected six. Peavey had five, Brett Schmitt and Kya Viegut added four apiece, Meyer had three and Brooklyn Filtzkowski and Hayden Willner rounded things out with two apiece.
Meserole and the Falcons were understandably upset with the loss, but took a great deal of encouragement.
“It’s nice to see some of the younger girls out on the court, and see them figure out their roles on the team. I think what’s nice is we have a lot of players that are very different. Depending on the game situation certain girls get played in different situations.”
For Schmitt, the yo-yo type game was a lesson to his players to always be ready to play any team, regardless of records. He praised his players, but also gave them a harsh critque.
“The one thing you can’t teach a team is not to quit. Those girls that were out didn’t quit. They kept going with the press, they figured out what they were trying to do,” Schmitt said. “But we got to bring the energy level back up, otherwise it’s going to be a long season.”
Colby cuts down Greenwood
If you’re looking for the definition of team basketball, you don’t have to look much further than the Colby girls this year.
The Hornets put on an absolute clinic on how to play as one during their Dec. 22 game against the Greenwood Indians. That wasn’t all Colby displayed - Colby had nine different players score, and controlled the game from start to finish, as they dropped their Eastern Cloverbelt rivals by thirty points.
Greenwood (2-2; 2-2 ECC) came in off the back of two strong wins, topping Spencer by two on Dec. 14, and then pummeling the Owen-Withee Blackhawks 56-40 on Dec. 17.
But the Indians would be no match for a Hornets squad that has won three straight, and they swarmed their vistors from the opening whistle. Colby’s inside game was unstoppable, as the Hornets made a living underneath, choosing to use their height to good effect.
The Hornets attempted just five three pointers, but converted on 50 percent of their two point field goals, finishing 30 of 60 on those attempts.
Colby pulled down over 50 rebounds, with 24 of them coming on the offensive glass, and nine different Hornets scored in the first half. Brooklyn Filtzkowski had her breakout game of the season, scoring 11 points, all in the first half.
Emma Peavey, Lexi Underwood and more got in on the action as the Hornets built a 44-31 lead at the break. Their offense would continue to click into the second half, with Underwood and Brooke Suckow guiding Colby to 35 points in the final frame.
Colby’s defense was the real star in the second half, with the Hornets limiting Greenwood to 18 points. Celine Wuethrich led the Indians with 13 points, and Kia Abel notched 11, but Greenwood struggled to score in last stanza as Colby held the Indians in check, with no player from Greenwood scoring more than five points in the second half.
Meanwhile, Colby continued to attack the interior, and out-scored their opponents 35-18 in the second half to win 79-49, and extend their winning streak to four.
Colby had four players finish in double digits, with Underwood enjoying her best game of the season, notching a doubledouble as she scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds - both season highs.
Peavey dropped 14 points and eight boards on the Indians, and Filtzkowski finished with a career high of 11 points while Suckow provided 10 points in the winning effort.
Trista Meyer had a solid night, scoring eight points. Hayden Willner continues to be a strong option off the bench for first year coach Terry Schmitt, and the speedy sophomore added six points.
Kya Viegut scored five points. Olivia Vollrath added four points and had eight rebounds. Brett Schmitt tallied two points as Colby distributed the ball for 13 assists and pilfered Greenwood’s pocket 18 times.
It’s early sledding in the first month of the 2020-21 season, but the rust has been shaken off, and the Hornets are looking to regain their lost Cloverbelt crown.
TAKING IT TO THE TIN -Abbotsford’s Adriana Fuentes goes up for two during the first half as Colby’s Kya Viegut attempts to block the shot. The Falcons were without leading rebounder Alea Graff, but the two teams traded shots and the lead all game long.STAFF PHOTOS/ROSS PATTERMANN
