Chieftains split games as their season winds down

By Ginna Young

Splitting the week’s games, the Lake Holcombe boys basketball program faced off with the fast-scoring Prairie Farm, before stepping out of the conference against Gilman.

Feb. 10 vs. Prairie Farm conference (L 76-46)

Heading to Prairie Farm, the Chieftains knew it wouldn’t be an easy feat to down the Panthers, but Lake Holcombe battled hard in the first half, trailing by just eight points at halftime.

The second was where the Chieftains fell behind. “Foul trouble in the second half took a toll on the Chieftains and they struggled to put points on the board,” said coach Joy Webster.

At the end, the Panthers took the game, 76-46. Junior Harley Schroeder led all scorers with 18, followed by freshman Ryley Craker with 12. Senior Dylan Bowen added 9 points, while senior Brendan Anders ended with 5 and sophomore Taye Yeager had 2.

Bowen led the team with 5 assists and 10 rebounds. Senior Sam Ewer and Schroeder pulled down 4 rebounds each.

Feb. 14 vs. Gilman non-conference (W 62-57)

Finishing up the week, the Chieftains played host to Gilman, for a non-conference match-up. The first half was evenly matched, with Lake Holcombe taking a one-point lead into halftime.

Moving into the second half, the Chieftains continued their scoring ways, but the Pirates found their offense to make it a closer contest. Lake Holcombe wouldn’t give up and the game went to the Chieftains, 62-57.

Bowen hit three shots from beyond the arc, ending the night with 26 points. Anders connected on five, three-pointers, recording 19 points on the night. Schroeder chipped in with 9 points, followed by senior Nate Jones, with 5, while Ewer added 3.

The Chieftains now sit at 7-14 overall and are 6-8 in the East Lakeland Conference.