Colby boys can’t overcome Tigers’ threes
The curtain finally closed on the Colby Hornets 2020-21 season after the Hornets failed to get past a hot-shooting Stratford Tigers squad last week in the WIAA D-3 regional semifinal.
Colby had a bye through the first round of regional action that turned out to be a mixed blessing as the Hornets were playing in their first game in a week.
Colby had an idea of what to expect from Stratford, having played the Tigers once before this year. In the second meeting between the two non-conference teams, the regional road game played out eerily like their first meeting.
In that Jan. 19 contest, Stratford took advantage of injuries to starters Brent Jeske and Jaden Underwood, burying the Hornets under a barrage of threes.
The Tigers shot 50 percent from the floor on that chilly January night converting 12 of 25 attempts from Down Town. Thursday night was a case of history repeating itself as the Tigers continued to rain threes upon the heads of the Hornets with brutal efficiency.
“Stratford came out pretty hot, and we fell behind early,” Colby head coach Jimmy Flink said. “We missed some open shots, and had some bad turnovers.”
The Tigers splashed 10 triples, and combined that with 18 of 36 made buckets from the floor. Colby’s miscues, combined with the Tigers’ hot shooting, was a recipe for disaster. By halftime Colby was down 44-27.
That deficit proved too big an obstacle to overcome, Flink said. “In the second half we were within 15 points . . . but couldn’t capitalize on cutting the lead any further. Tucker Meyer played very good offensively. Jaden Underwood and Richard Streveler hit some early shots, so Stratford really focused on shutting them down.”
Meyer drained four threes, and finished seven of 12 on the night has he led Colby with a new career high 20 points.
Streveler was also in double figures with 10 points. The Hornets did well from three, hitting home on 11 of 26 three point attempts, but Colby struggled to get shots to fall, finishing 17 of 43 on the night.
Underwood finished with nine points. Kaden Wiese and Mason Schmutzler scored five apiece. Caden Healey added four points. Brandon Voelker was scoreless, but had a team high five rebounds.
Stratford’s Camden Daul came ready to play, and he did the heavy lifting, scoring a team high 20 points. Cody Miller added 14 and Caden Bruesewitz pumped in 13 points for the Tigers as they outscored Colby 27-26 in the final frame to end Colby’s year with a 71-53 loss.
The loss drops Colby’s record to 10-11, but Flink said that his players grew and overcame a lot of hurdles.
“Overall, our team, and all teams, had a lot of obstacles. I feel our players handled everything very well, and we never ran into any issues with our players.”
All told, the Hornets played in 23 games. Flink said so many games in such a short amount of time definitely had an effect on his student-athletes.
“For about two months our players were practicing or playing six days a week. Every week we would play at least one back to back game. You can tell at times fatigue was wearing in,” Flink said. “Playing that type of schedule is rough. I think all the players did a good job pushing through.”
Flink credits his seniors for helping set the tone, and for leading Colby to 10 wins, the Hornets first season with double digit victories in years.
“This senior class has been through a lot, and did whatever it took to have a good basketball season. Mason, Jaden, Henry and Chase are great kids and I am going to miss them,” Flink said. “Since they were freshmen, they always came to practices and games with great attitudes, and would do anything had to for the team. They set a great example to our underclassmen. I can’t say enough about what a great group they are.”
As Colby bids goodbye to the Class of 2021, Flink is already casting an eye towards next year. He’s hoping that there will be a summer basketball program for his players to expand upon the skills they learned on the court this season.
Armed with a bevy of returners in Tucker Meyer, Brandon Voelker, Caden Healy, Brent Jeske and Kaden Wiese, the Hornets are looking to add hardware to the trophy case, and some numbers to the banners that adorn the rafters.
“We have a lot of talent [returning]. Our junior class is very strong, and our sophomore class has a lot of talent.”
LOCK DOWN -Mason Schmutzler, center, and teammate Kaden Wiese, stop a Stratford Tiger in his tracks.SUBMITTED PHOTOS/CATHY SEITZ
