Chiefs overrun by Raiders, Falcons in conference battles

By Ginna Young

Cornell faced possibly their toughest opponents yet, as the boys basketball program took on the top teams in the league over the week.

Jan. 18 vs. Bruce conference (L 74-25)

Gearing up for the week’s action, Cornell saw Bruce come to play, but coach Steve Parker knew the Chiefs weren’t going to have an easy time right from the start. Early this season, after watching them play Cornell in summer league ball, Parker predicted Bruce to win the conference.

“We ran into the best team in the conference tonight…we did not match up well with their size,” said Parker. “I can tell their players play a brand of AAU basketball and it showed on the court tonight.”

The Chiefs were limited to just 14 points in the first half, while Bruce racked up 38 before halftime.

“They terrorized us on the offensive glass, garnering 16 easy put-back points,” said Parker. “They also forced 15 more turnovers. They used their size to block several of our shots.”

Parker also felt the game could have seen better calls, as every advantage seemed to go Bruce’s way. With so many arm slaps, offensive charges and three-step post-dribble violations in favor of Bruce, the visitors had no trouble adding 36 points to their lead in the second half, while Cornell fought for their 11 points.

In the end, the Chiefs conceded defeat to the high-scoring Bruce, 74-25.

“We passed the ball well on the perimeter tonight,” said Parker. “We also did a nice job breaking their man-to-man and diamond press. We started out stout defensively in our packed two-three zone, getting six stops in eight defensive series. We also did a much better job contesting their outside shots in the second half.”

Junior Blake Anders added 8 points on the night and 6 rebounds, while junior Dylan Bowe also had 8 points, coming up with 5 rebounds. Junior Dawson Munson recorded 7 points and 6 boards, and junior Avery Turany chipped in with 2 points.

Jan. 21 vs. Flambeau conference (L 91-40)

It was then off to Flambeau, for a what the Chiefs knew would be a battle. And a battle it was for Cornell to catch up with the Falcons on the scoreboard.

In the first half, Cornell was held to just 16 points, while Flambeau raced out to put up 57 points before the break.

“Undefeated Flambeau overwhelmed us last Friday,” said Parker. “They out-rebounded, out-shot and out-hustled us.”

Although Cornell was able to score more in the second half and keep Flambeau to 34 points, the Chiefs missed 10 shots at the rim and more than 20, three-point attempts.

The game went to the Falcons, 91-40, bringing Cornell’s overall record to 2-14 on the year, and keeping them winless in the East Lakeland Conference, at 0-9.

“Our help-side defense struggled stopping the dribble penetration from hand-off ball screens,” said Parker. “They used their height and long-arm advantage well on their traps, and close-outs. Several of our scoring attempts ended with a blocked shot. We also had difficulty swinging the ball.”

Anders ended the night with 14 points, while Bowe and Turany each had 8. Munson followed that up with 6 points and sophomore Bentley Spangler added 3 points.

Turany led the team with 3 steals and Bowe had 3 assists. Anders finished 8-11 from the free throw line.