Chieftains singed in games with Siren and Immanuel

It was a tough week for the Lake Holcombe boys basketball program, as they battled two strong opponents from out of the East Lakeland Conference.

Jan. 14 vs. Siren non-conference (L 81-66)

“Even after a long bus ride, the boys came ready to play,” said coach Joy Webster about the Chieftains’ driving through a snowstorm.

Depsite the inclement weather, Lake Holcombe put up 44 points on the board in the first half, only going into halftime trailing by two.

“Siren slowed things way down in the second half and Holcombe had trouble getting shots off,” said Webster. “We did have a little trouble taking care of the ball tonight, turning it over 15 times.”

Siren capitalized and walked away with the 81-66 victory.

Leading for the Chieftains, was senior Kaden Crank, who scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half, which included two shots from three-point land. Junior Dylan Bowen finished with three shots from beyond the arc, ending with 11 points, while fellow junior Colton Minnick was right behind, with 10 points.

Senior Riley Gingras also added a three, coming off with 10 points. Senior Will Kliegle followed with 8 points and senior Brock Flater chipped in with 7, knocking down two, three-pointers.

Flater and Minnick led the team with 5 assists each, while Gingras and Crank each pulled down 5 rebounds, and Gingras led the team with 3 steals.

“This team continues to improve every night, and I still expect a strong season ahead,” said Webster. “The starts and stops to our season has been tough on these boys, but I admire their continued effort to keep playing and getting better.”

Jan. 16 vs. E.C. Immanuel non-conference (L 59-48)

Two days later, the Chieftains were on the road yet again, in a rare weekend game with E.C. Immanuel.

“We got down early, trailing 13-2 to start the game, but then played with them the whole rest of the way,” said Webster.

By halftime, Lake Holcombe only trailed by seven and while the pace was even throughout the second half, the Chieftains couldn’t recover the points to pull off the win. They saw the game go to the Lancers, 59-48.

Gingras led all scorers, with 14, followed by Flater with 11 and Minnick with 9. Kliegle played a solid game, putting up 6 points, followed by Bowen and Crank with 4 each.

Flater, Gingras and Kliegle combined for 20 rebounds, while Gingras and Flater combined for 5 steals.

Lake Holcombe now sits at 3-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference.