Chieftains come back to defeat Trojans last-minute

Ryley Craker, Lake Holcombe sophomore, played keep-away on his home court Jan. 13, going up against a determined New Auburn team. Photo by Ginna Young By Ginna Young Lake Holcombe started out the game at home in good form Jan. 13, facing off with New Auburn, in an East Lakeland Conference battle. However, the Trojans pulled ahead for a seven-point lead going into the break. The Chieftains shook off the doldrems and fought back to get back in the match. “With the game tied at 49-49 with just over a minute left, Ryley Craker hit a three-point shot to go up by three,” said coach Joy Webster. “The Trojans quickly followed with a two and the Chieftains had the ball with just 37 seconds to play. With the clock winding down to just 13 seconds (Brian) Strzok nailed a wide-open three from the corner to seal the victory. With the 57-51 victory, Lake Holcombe’s record improves to 4-7 overall and 3-4 in league play. The sophomore Strzok had his third double-double of the week, with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Harley Schroeder had a solid night, with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Junior Taye Yeager hit four shots from three-point land and finished with 14 points. Meanwhile, the sophomore Craker also put in a solid game, finishing with 9 points. “Trent Nitek (junior) did a nice job down low trying to stop their offense from the post position and chipped in with 1 point,” said Webster.