Chieftains come up with big wins in league play

By Ginna Young

A home stretch gave Lake Holcombe fan support to bring in two conference wins for the boys basketball team over the week, with the Chieftains taking on Clayton and Birchwood.

Jan. 18 vs. Clayton conference (W 60-55)

Lake Holcombe started the week against Clayton, with the Chieftains putting up 32 points in the first half, while limiting Clayton to 23. It was a different story after the break, with the Bears storming back to outscore Lake Holcombe, 28-19.

“With just 3 seconds to go in the game, [the] Chieftains led by three, with Clayton on the line,” said coach Joy Webster. “They hit the first free throw to make it a two-point game. They shot the second free throw hard off the rim, their player then tipped it in for a tie and to send us into overtime.”

Lake Holcombe wouldn’t go down and came out strong, finishing the game with a 60-55 victory.

Senior Colton Minnick had his first double-double of the season, with 19 points and 10 assists, shooting two shots from long range. Senior Dylan Bowen added 18 points, including five, three-pointers. Senior Sam Ewer had a season high night, with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior Harley Schroeder, freshman Ryley Craker and senior Nate Jones rounded out the scoring, with 4, 3 and 1 point, respectively.

Jones also helped the team, with 5 assists and 4 rebounds, while Schroeder pulled down 9 boards. Craker, Minnick and Bowen each played a strong defensive game, combining for 14 steals.

Jan. 21 vs. Birchwood conference (W 75-56)

It was then time to face Birchwood for a Friday night match-up, with the Chieftains leading throughout the game. Free throws kept Birchwood in the game the first half, as they hit 17 of 23 from the charity stripe.

The Chieftains still held on to a 35-27 halftime lead and with Lake Holcombe’s pressure defense, helped pull away in the second half and secured their second victory in a row.

“This was the first night back for (senior) Brendan Anders after breaking his wrist the first game of the season,” said Webster. “He was a nice addition back, as he put up 18 points, to help the Chieftains secure a 75-56 victory.”

Schroeder was also the first player of the season to record a triple-double.

“He had his best game of the season, with 10 assists, 12 rebounds and 10 points,” said Webster.

Minnick led on the scoreboard with 19 points, with Bowen right behind, with 16. Schroeder came next, with 10, while Ewer added 6, and Jones and freshman Trent Lee each came up with 3 points.

Jones added 5 assists and Anders added 7 rebounds, followed by Bowen, with 5. Anders and Bowen led the team with 4 steals each.

The wins bring Lake Holcombe’s record to 5-9 overall and 5-4 in the East Lakeland Conference.