Hornet boys cruise in win over Thorp
The Colby Hornets traveled to Thorp on Tuesday evening to take on the Cardinals in a non-conference matchup. Thorp’s early 1-0 lead would be the only one they would hold in the contest, as Colby would use a run late in the first half to solidify what would turn into a 71-33 rout over the Cardinals.
After taking a loss in their opener against Auburndale, the Hornets were in search of their first win of the season. Last year, they had made quick work of the Cardinals, dispatching them 7533, and with the Cards not seeming to be gaining much on paper, it certainly seemed like an excellent opportunity for Colby to get into the win column.
The visiting Hornets opened an 11-2 lead over the course of the first eight minutes, both teams struggling to find much offensive success against the zone defenses employed by either side. Colby struggled in the middle parts of the half and the Cardinals capitalized, going on a 12-4 run to close the gap to one point.
That would be all the closer Thorp would get, as Colby went on a run of their own to end the half. Led by two three-point shots from Kaden Wiese, the Hornets outscored Thorp 12-1 over the final three minutes to go up 27-15.
Colby continued to carry that scoring momentum over to the second period, where they opened play with a 13-4 run over the first five minutes to expand their lead to 40-19. The once competitive affair now had the makings of a blowout and the Hornets did not let up. They scored 44 points in the second half to Thorp’s 18, even as both teams opted to move their starters to the bench for the final five minutes.
After a close first fifteen minutes of play, Colby dominated the latter portions of the game, outscoring the Cardinals 58-19 over the final 21 minutes.
Joe Streveler led the Hornets in scoring, finishing the game with 18 points and going seven for eight from the free throw line. Colby had a balanced attack behind Streveler, with Wiese, Tevin Rue, and Tucker Meyer each scoring nine points. Caden Healy added eight of his own and Mateo Lopez had five in his return to the court.
With their first win under their belts, the Hornets will be looking to add another when they host Athens on Monday, Dec. 5. The Bluejays are the reigning Marawood-North conference champions and lost in last year’s sectional final to Hurley. They are 2-0 to start the 2022-23 season and once again sit at the top of the Marawood-North. In their sole meeting last year, Athens came away with the 82-70 victory. Both teams will be short their top scorers from a season ago, but are returning a number of key players from those squads.
The non-conference game is set to start at 7:15 p.m.
