Lake Holcombe and Cornell clash in battle on the court

By Ginna Young

Facing off in a rivalry game, the Lake Holcombe Chieftains and Cornell Chiefs met on the Chieftains’ court Jan. 10, for a battle of the boys basketball programs.

“The boys put their best game together against Cornell… they played with high intensity on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball,” said Lake Holcombe coach Joy Webster.

Taking a nine-point lead into halftime, the Chieftains kept up the pace throughout the game, with the Chiefs having to adjust to what they feel are some no-calls during the bout.

“I learned that some refereeing crews will only blow the whistle for a foul if players get knocked to the floor,” said Cornell coach Steve Parker. “With that said, I need to make changes to ensure our future starting five will be the most physical players with ball toughness, and weight room quickness and agility.”

Despite a goodly amount of three-pointers, that wasn’t enough to reel in the conference match and the game went to Lake Holcombe, 75-57.

Leading for Cornell, was senior Dylan Bowe, who ended with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and a block. Sophomore Parker Modl came next, scoring 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a block and a steal.

Senior Blake Anders notched 9 points on the night, with 14 rebounds and 3 assists, while sophomore Hunter Anders was right behind, adding 8 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Junior Bentley Spangler chipped in with 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and sophomore Torren Parker got on the board with 1 point, 3 rebounds, a block and a steal.

Junior Carter Harycki also helped his team out with 3 rebounds.

“Lake Holcombe outplayed us tonight,” said Parker. “We missed too many shots at the rim, allowed a frustrating amount of offensive rebounds and committed too many turnovers to win.”

For Lake Holcombe, sophomore Brian Strzok hit a doubledouble for the second straight night, scoring 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also led the team, along with sophomore Ryley Craker, with 6 steals each.

Junior Taye Yeager led the team with 6 assists, along with 12 points, while Craker added 4 assists and led the team with 25 points. Senior Harley Schroeder also had 12 points, and junior Trent Nitek and senior Abram Wininger chipped in with 4 and 2 points, respectively.

“I hope the boys have gained some confidence with this game and keep improving,” said Webster.