Colby downs Orioles, falls to Pirates, Greyhounds

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Colby girls basketball team kicked off their Cloverbelt conference schedule last week, taking on the likes of the Loyal Greyhounds and the Gilman Pirates. While the Hornets could not find victories in either contest, they bounced back with a win over Stanley-Boyd on Monday evening.

Stanley-Boyd, 56-47

A strong ending to the first half and a swarming press defensive effort in the second helped push Colby to a 56-47 victory over the Orioles at home.

The Hornets forced 38 turnovers and captured 22 steals in a game where over a third of their points (21) came off of Stanley-Boyd lost possessions. Much of that came from the pressure they were able to apply in the second half, where their full court defense was able to control the pace of the game and force the Orioles into uncomfortable offensive sets. While the visitors were able to break through at times, a 14-1 run for Colby built upon those forced turnovers allowed the Hornets to pull away.

Five different Colby players scored over the key stretch. Holding a 41-37 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the contest, the Hornets were able to force 11 turnovers and had five steals while only allowing six shot attempts from Stanley-Boyd, all of which were misses, over the next five minutes of game time. Colby scored 11 unanswered points and the Orioles sole point came via a free throw near the end of the run, one that was countered by a three point shot from Harrison Schmitt that gave the Hornets a 55-38 lead.

Perhaps just as important to the Hornets victory was their performance over the final minutes of the first period. After giving up 12 straight points to the Orioles and to fall behind 16-9, Colby was able to bounce back to go on to score 19 points over the last nine minutes while holding Stanley-Boyd to just five. Dakota Hoeper tied the game at 16-16 with a layup and Angelique Hernandez gave her team the lead a few possessions later. Colby never trailed following Hernandez’s field goal.

Nine Hornets made their way into the scoring column in Monday night’s victory, showcasing the team effort on display. Schmitt led the team with 14 points and was second in rebounds and steals, recording seven and four of each respectively. Brynn Polivka added nine points and Hernandez and Hoeper had eight points each. Hernandez had a team-high ten rebounds and recorded four steals.

Alexis Vanderhoof led the defensive efforts with seven steals and ended the evening with six points. Lucia Perez had five points, and Brezlyn Boyer, Lilly Brzezinski and Olvia Krause all had two.

Gilman, 61-48

In their second conference game of the season, the Hornets could not find a way to stop Gilman’s Danielle Mann, who nearly outscored the entire Colby squad in the Pirates’ 61-48 victory last Friday evening.

While the Hornets tried to push the ball, scoring 21 points in transition, and forced 34 turnovers from the Pirates, they could not keep up with their Cloverbelt-East foes, largely due to Mann’s play on the offensive side of the ball. Mann ended the game with 42 points in a dominant performance in which she shot 16-for-24 from the field and 12-for-14 on shots within the three-point line.

Mann hit a trio of threes to open the contest and Gilman jumped out to a 16-2 lead but the Hornets were able to answer, scoring 13 straight points to nearly draw even. Harrison Schmitt started the run off with a corner three and her field goal with seven minutes left in the half brought Colby back within one of their opponents.

The Pirates responded with an offensive onslaught of their own, scoring 20 points before halftime. Following a three from Alexis Vanderhoof that brought the Hornets back to within three at 22-19, Colby only managed four points over the final six minutes of the period. Gilman entered halftime with a 36-23 lead and the Hornets would not be able to recover.

Asteal and subsequent basket from Vanderhoof brought the Hornets back within 11 early in the second half and another cut it to 10 in the game’s closing minutes, but they would not be able to shrink the visitors’ lead back within single digits. The Pirates led by as many as 19 in the second half, keeping Colby at bay to claim their first Cloverbelt victory.

Vanderhoof led the team with 18 points and seven steals. Lilly Brzezinksi had a double-double, scoring ten points while bringing down 21 rebounds. Schmitt added nine points, Angelique Hernandez had five points and Brezlyn Boyer, Brynn Polivka and Dakota Hoeper all had two points.

Loyal, 54-37

A strong second-half from the Greyhounds was the difference maker in Colby’s Cloverbelt opener in Loyal last Tuesday. After playing almost even with the home team over the first 18 minutes, the Hornets couldn’t keep pace in the second period as the Greyhounds outscored them 23-5 and put up 13 straight points over a key stretch to pull away for a 54-37 win.

Loyal led for much of the first period, but the visiting Colby squad was never far behind. The Greyhounds 12-6 lead was the largest of the first half, but a three from Brynn Polivka quickly brought the Hornets back within a single possession. Another three-pointer a few minutes later, this time courtesy of Angelique Hernandez, put Colby on top 17-16, but a transition basket on a Hornet turnover on their next possession gave the lead right back to Loyal. The Greyhounds would not trail from that point forward.

Quick baskets from the home team to open the second period allowed them to distance themselves from the Hornets, building their advantage out to nine before Colby could get on the board. A pair of free throws from Polivka and an old-fashioned three-point play from Dakota Hoeper were the only sources of offense for the visitors in the first 12 minutes of the half which allowed the Greyhounds to turn a previously close contest distinctly in their favor.

The Hornets lack of a presence on the blocks on the offen-

See COLBY GIRLS BB/ Page 12

FAST PACE OFFENSE - Dakota Hoeper pushes the ball down court after a steal during the Hornets victory over Stanley-Boyd on Monday night.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

LEADING THE WAY - Harrison Schmitt, who had a team-high 14 points in the win over the Orioles, maneuvers around a Stanley-Boyd defender.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Colby girls BB

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sive end coupled with 34 turnovers, double the 17 turnovers committed by Loyal, made things difficult, especially in the second period. The Greyhounds outscored Colby 28-12 in the paint and had 19 offensive rebounds to just five for the Hornets.

Alexis Vanderhoof scored 11 points to lead the team, followed by eight from Polivka and six each from Hoeper and Harrison Schmitt. Hernandez had four and Lilly Brzezinski added two. Lucia Perez led the team with seven rebounds.

Colby will have a chance to pick up their first Cloverbelt win on Thursday, Dec.14, when they host Spencer. The Rockets will be looking for their first conference victory as well, having taken losses to Columbus Catholic and Loyal thus far this season. They are coming off a 42-27 win against Thorp on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m.