Chieftains come up empty against Dragons, Raiders

Senior Dylan Bowen executes some fancy dribbling for Lake Holcombe, as the Chieftains hosted Bruce Jan. 7, for a conference match-up. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

It was a tough week for the Lake Holcombe boys basketball team, as the Chieftains faced off against out-of-conference opponent Siren, then the Bruce Red Raiders.

Jan. 4 vs. Siren non-conference (L 86-47)

The week began with Lake Holcombe hosting the Dragons, but despite home court advantage, the Chieftains couldn’t muster their offense in the first half. At halftime, the score sat at 54-22, in favor of Siren.

The second half proved better, with the Chieftains holding the Dragons to just 32 points, while scoring 25 of their own. However, Lake Holcombe never caught up and by the time the game clock expired, Siren had claimed an 86-47 victory.

“We are still missing too many shots in the paint and have to keep working on finishing at the hoop,” said coach Joy Webster.

Leading on the night, was senior Colton Minnick, with 17 points, followed by junior Harley Schroeder, with 13. Senior Dylan Bowen was next, with 9, while senior Sam Ewer had 6 and freshman Ryley Craker added 2.

Senior Nate Jones led the team with 5 assists, Minnick had 3, and Bowen and Schroeder each came away with 2. Bowen led the team with 5 steals, followed by Minnick, with 3.

Bowen also led the team with 6 rebounds, while Minnick and Schroeder each recorded 5, and Craker pulled down 4.

Jan. 7 vs. Bruce conference (L 82-47)

At the end of the week, Lake Holcombe again faced new challenges, as starters Minnich and Brendan Anders were out, leaving Craker and sophomore Taye Yeager to pick up the slack left from the missing upperclassmen.

“Minnick was averaging 18 points a game, so his absence was missed on the floor,” said Webster.

Bruce jumped out to a large lead in the first half at Lake Holcombe, and while the Chieftains picked up the pace in the second half, it wasn’t enough. The conference game went to the Raiders, 82-47.

“I was proud of these boys though, as they fought right up to the final buzzer,” said Webster.

Bowen was just short of his season high, scoring 22 points on the night and knocking down six, three pointers. Ewer also scored a season high 10 points, followed by Craker with 7, and Schroeder, with 6. Junior Max Sauerwein chipped in with 2 points.

Craker led the team with 4 assists, while Jones and Sauerwein each came up with 3. Schroeder finished with 7 rebounds and Bowen had 5, followed by Sauerwein, with 4. Jones, Ewer and Craker all pulled down 3 boards each.

Lake Holcombe’s record is now 2-7 overall and 2-3 in the East Lakeland Conference.