Chiefs win last-second over LCO, fall to Warriors
By Ginna Young
Cornell had a strong schedule over the week, as the boys basketball program battled in each of their away games.
Jan. 12 vs. LCO non-conference (W 52-50)
Beginning the first of a couple back-to-back games, the Chiefs headed to Lac Courte Orielles (LCO) for a non-conference match. Cornell fell behind in the first half, trailing by 11 at halftime, but they wouldn’t be kept down, turning things around in the second half.
“Our team drew five offensive fouls on LCO, with Dylan (Bowe) notching three of them,” said coach Steve Parker. “Unfortunately, I had a different starter hit his head on floor taking a charge, and he asked to come off the court early in the second half and did not return. I was proud of him for being safe and for not trying to play with possible signs of a concussion.”
While the Chiefs were down by 10 points most of the game, they found a way to outplay LCO, who missed 12 free throws in the game, with Cornell forcing seven more turnovers than their competitors.
“Bentley Spangler and Parker Modl both drained three, three-point shots at crucial points in the game, with Parker’s last one occurring in the final minute of play, to put us up by one point,” said Parker. “LCO tied the game on a free throw with 7 seconds left. We inbounded and Dylan drove the length of the floor, split two defenders in the paint, got hammered and proceeded to nail an acrobatic fall-back layup at the buzzer, to seal the victory.”
With the Chiefs 52-50 win, Bowe finished with 17 points, 7 assists and 2 steals, and the junior Spangler ended with 13 points, 8 rebounds and an assist. The sophomore Modl had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while sophomore Torren Parker had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks.
Senior Blake Anders also had 4 points, and notched 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Sophomore Hunter Anders ended the night with 2 points, 4 rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Jan. 13 vs. Winter conference (L 85-63)
With no time to rest up, Cornell took off for Winter, one of the two highest-scoring teams in the conference.
“Winter is a team that lives and dies by the three,” said S. Parker. “Our defenders were on them, but didn’t have the hand up to contest the shots soon enough.”
Faced with 12 points to open the game from three-point shots, the Chiefs struggled to catch up and were down by 15 at halftime.
“Winter is also one of the best rebounding teams in the conference,” said S. Parker. “Their second and third-chance opportunities hurt us tonight.”
Cornell tried to fight their way back from the deficit, but ultimately dropped the game, 85-63.
“Even though I had four players triple their rebounding total from the game before, it wasn’t enough,” said S. Parker. “We need to do a better job with the progression of rebounding mechanics.”
The game went to Winter, 85-63, handing the Chiefs a loss to bring their East Lakeland Conference record to 1-6 and the overal record to 4-9.
“We ended the contest having committed 16 more turnovers and finished with a -15 rebounding disadvantage,” said S. Parker. “Throw in the fact we missed 11 free throws and that’s a recipe for a blow-out loss.”
Bowe came up big for the Chiefs, with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block, followed by Spangler, with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a steal. Modl was next, with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a block, while T. Parker had 9 points, 9 rebounds and an assist.
H. Anders added 3 points to the mix, with 2 assists and 4 steals, and junior Jayden Joas-Shaw ended with 4 assists and a steal, while junior Carter Harycki came up with 6 rebounds, and freshman Zech Schmidt chipped in with 2 points and an assist.
“I learned watching the film, there are several new fundamentals we need to improve,” said S. Parker. “This was a developmental game for us and our team will have more confidence, experience and depth when two of my starters return.”
