Chieftains keep intensity, raid Warriors for home win

Time away from the court didn’t hurt the Lake Holcombe boys basketball squad, as they started the new year off with a landslide win. In a conference home game Jan. 3, Lake Holcombe went up against Winter, holding their opponents to just nine points in the first half.

“After two weeks with no games, I was very pleased with how the boys came out and played tonight,” said coach Joy Webster. “Christmas cookies and a long layoff can be tough on basketball teams, but the boys came out with intensity and kept that intensity for 36 minutes. I was also pleased with my bench play tonight.”

Up by 37 coming out of halftime, Lake Holcombe refused to give up their large lead, with Winter only scoring 15 points to the Chieftains’ 29. Lake Holcombe finished the home win, with a final score of 75-24.

Sophomore Colton Minnick and junior Will Kliegle both had career highs, with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Junior Brock Flater had a good game, with 19 points, including three, three-pointers, 4 assists and 4 steals. Junior Kaden Crank led the team with 10 rebounds and 8 points.

Webster says Josh Jones continues to show his senior leadership, leading the team with 7 assists, while fellow senior Kaden Kinney also had a good night, with 15 points, 7 assists and 5 steals.

Junior Derek Jones also contributed, with 2 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Jarred Jiskra was also strong on the boards, pulling down 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

The win puts Lake Holcombe at 4-2 overall and 3-2 in East Lakeland Conference play.