Colby sweeps series with Blackhawks
Hornets look to start new win streak
One of the hallmarks of a great team is how quickly they can bounce back from a tough loss.
The Colby Hornets had thrown everything they had at the Columbus Catholic Dons, last Tuesday but a shooting clinic from three allowed the Dons to escape Colby with hard fought win.
The Hornets had little time to dwell on the ‘what-ifs’ and ‘might-have-beens’ - they had a game to play on Friday, and it was against a talented and long Owen-Withee Blackhawks program that is better than their 6-9 record would suggest.
In fact, for much of the first half, the Blackhawks were the better team. Owen-Withee used their length to crash the glass for offensive rebounds and putbacks, and if that didn’t work, they were able to get to the charity stripe.
The Blackhawks went to the line a total of 33 times, scoring 19 points courtesy of those repeated trips to the stripe. The Blackhawks had 20 free throw attempts by the end of the first half.
The Hornets responded with threes and a press defense that led to points off turnovers. Tevin Rue and Brody Decker splashed deep threes, and Richard Streveler slashed inside for baskets.
But several costly turnovers late in the first half allowed the Blackhawks to take a 36-33 lead at the break. The Hornets could have given up, but the senior class was not about to let that happen.
“We came into the locker room and flat out said ‘We’re better than them.’ We knew we played sloppy in the first half and that there were better things that we could do,” senior guard Brandon Voelker said. “We talked about changes that needed to happen, and we did it in the second half.”
A different Colby squad took the floor in the second half, and the Hornets buzzed all over the court, swatting down Owen-Withee shots, forcing turnovers, getting fouls and nailing baskets. The Hornets evened things up at 38-38 with 15:37 to play, and then regained the lead at 47-46 with 12:8 to go.
From there it felt as though the tide was finally turning in Colby’s favor, and the Hornets could feel it, pressing on defense and finding open shooters.
“We got really vocal and started to press and got a lot of turnovers and we converted and then just hit a lot of shots,” Voelker said.
Brody Decker was lethal from deep, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the second half, including three triples. Rue continued to score in bunches, slicing in for lay-ups, but his biggest shot was a corner three that banked in and helped the Hornets pull away for good.
“I thought I was hitting all backboard, I didn’t think it was going in,” Rue said sheepishly. “Then I banked it in, and I felt like “Yo, I guess it’s my night.’” Owen-Withee continued to crash the glass and make their shots. Logan Amacher kept the Blackhawks in the mix thanks to his team high 24 points, and Caleb Geldernick added 16 points to keep it under a ten point game with Colby leading 63-55 with 6:27 to play.
The Hornets snapped off a 9-2 run to deflate the Blackhawks’ comeback bid. The Hornets took time off the clock, forcing Owen-Withee to foul, sending Colby to the line. Colby turned in one of their best free throwing shooting performances of the year, knocking down 19 of 29 attempts. None was better than Richard Streveler, who converted all nine of his attempts.
Caden Healy found a rhythm at the line, and he made five of six free throws in the second half, and Colby would go on to out-score the Blackhawks 49-28 in the final frame for the 82-64 victory.
The Hornets had four players in double figures. Streveler led all players with 25 points, followed by Rue with 16, Decker with 14 and Healy with 13 points.
Tucker Meyer is easing back into the rotation and finished with six points, Voelker scored five and Kaden Wiese and Mateo Lopez had two and one point.
The win gives Colby its first clean sweep of Owen-Withee in several years. Colby is hoping to carry that momentum into the second half of the season.
“It builds our confidence,” Rue said afterwards. “We’re finally back to full strength, we’re healthy, and I think we proved tonight that we’re a good team.”
GET OUT THE BROOMS -Colby’s Tevin Rue flies through the air for a layup after forcing a turnover against the Owen-Withee Blackhawks on Friday. Rue’s corner three was pivotal for the victory, and helped the Hornets sweep the season series with their Cloverbelt rivals. STAFF PHOTOS/ROSS PATTERMANN
