Colby wins 2 of last 3 games, earns fifth seed
The Hornets had to bid goodbye to their Eastern Cloverbelt title hopes this season, but there may just be some hardware in their future. Especially if they keep playing the way they did against the Stratford Tigers on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Colby found themselves in Stratford for a Cloverbelt versus Marawood matchup, were the underdog to a Tigers squad with a superb 18-2 record.
But one thing about this Colby team, the bigger the moment, the more they show up and show out.
“We knew they were a good team coming in and this game was going to be a good opportunity for us to really show people what kind of basketball team we are,” Colby senior Brandon Voelker said.
From the opening tip-off to the final seconds, Colby kept swinging. Junior guard Kaden Wiese came up clutch shot after clutch shot, and his back to back threes gave Colby a early 7-5 lead.
Mateo Lopez hit a runner in the paint, Richard Streveler got a lay-up, Lopez nailed a three and Caden Healy scored inside to give Colby a 16-5 lead, prompting Stratford to burn a time out.
The time out did little to cool Colby’s white hot offense. Lopez got another bucket, followed by a deep Streveler three that made it 21-8, and when those threes are falling, the Hornets can beat anyone and on any court.
But you can’t keep a good team down forever, and the Tigers clawed their way back into the game thanks to Cam Daul’s 16 first half points, and Colby clung to a 36-35 lead at halftime.
That 14-6 run from the Tigers over the last five minutes gave Stratford some energy coming out of the locker room, and the Tigers began the second half on a 5-0 run, taking 40-36 lead with 15:00 to play.
Once again, it was the three point shot that got Colby back in control.
Wiese, who scored a team high 14 points in the first half, buried another three to make it 42-43. Scrappy junior guard Tevin Rue canned a pair of triples, and the Hornets were up 48-43.
Even with Colby’s inside-outside game clicking, the Tigers were not about to go away, not while they were playing in front of a partisan crowd.
Stratford made it a one-possession game at 55-52 with under seven minutes left in regulation, but for every Tiger bucket, the Hornets had a response.
Rue cut inside for two, Streveler scored on an in-bounds pass and then splashed a triple on the next possession to put Colby on top 62-52 with 3:39 to go.
As if sensing the upset, nerves crept into Colby’s game, giving the Tigers several free possessions, and Stratford got to within 66-59. But another Wiese three, his fifth of the night, gave Colby a 69-59 advantage with less than three to go.
Stratford pulled to 69-65 thanks to some clutch shooting of their own from three, but Colby made critical free throws to earn the 72-67 upset win. Wiese’s big night was crucial for Colby, and the sharp-shooting junior finished with a team high 21 points. Richard Streveler added 17 points on seven of 12 shooting.
Tevin Rue connected on five of 12 shots for 13 points. Mateo Lopez scored seven points, Tucker Meyer scored six more and Brandon Voelker had five points. Caden Healy chipped in with three points.
“It was a big win for us, especially being on the road and a confidence builder,” Voelker said when it was over. “Hopefully it shows people that we can play with anyone.”
Spencer, 97-85
The Colby Hornets scored a season high 97 points at home on Friday, and the Hornets needed every one of them against a plucky Spencer Rockets squad that played better than their 6-17 record would indicate.
After the first half of play Colby only had a 47-40 advantage heading into the locker room. But with the Hornets playing on Senior Night, the Class of 2022 was adamant they were going to deliver a victory in front of their families.
Colby expanded their lead to 51-40 in the first 90 seconds of the second half, and that lead grew to 60-42 with 14:34 to play. Colby head coach Jimmy Flink subbed in several bench players, and the Hornets got lazy, opening a door for a Rocket’s comeback.
Spencer went on a 22-5 run over the next seven minutes and Flink put his starters back in as Colby’s lead was whittled down to 69-64.
Richard Streveler and Mateo Lopez quickly got the Hornets back up double digits for a 86-72 lead with under four minutes to play. Streveler in particular had arguably his best game of his career, going off for a career high 37 points as he scored inside and at the stripe.
Lopez added 20 points, and the Hornets salted the game away with free throws. Tucker Meyer and Brody Decker added 13 and 14 points. Kaden Wiese had six points, Carson Rau had four points and Brandon Voelker and Joe Streveler notched three and two points.
73-59
They often say don’t wake a sleeping tiger, and this proved to be the case on Monday when it was Colby’s turn to play host to the Stratford Tigers in a rematch between the two non-conference teams.
This time it was the Tigers who turned the tables on Colby, taking a 31-24 lead into the locker room. That lead quickly grew in the second half as Stratford connected on several triples and buckets down low. Colby responded with five threes in the first half, but was soon down in by double digits despite a late rally.
The Tigers poured the pressure on, out-scoring Colby 42-35 in the last frame to get their revenge, dropping Colby to 15-6 on the season. Kaden Wiese and Richard Streveler led the Hornets with 13 apiece, followed by Tucker Meyer with 12 points. Colby’s next game will be against a yet to be determined opponent in the Cloverbelt Crossover in Colby on Feb. 24.
