Chiefs take the victory in a rivalry game with Chieftains
Senior Bill Dekarske goes up for a shot under his basket Feb. 10, as Cornell played host to Lake Holcombe. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young
The gym at Cornell was packed Feb. 10, as the Chiefs hosted Lake Holcombe in an East Lakeland Conference battle. And battle it was for the boys basketball programs, with both teams fighting for the win.
“I warned my players before the game, that Lake Holcombe is one of the conference’s best shooting and passing teams,” said Cornell coach Steve Parker. “I also addressed the fact they have several starters who know how to shoot from downtown and effectively dribble-drive to the basket.”
However, Cornell’s man-to-man defense was up to the challenge, and did enough to disrupt the Chieftains’ offensive rhythm and force a high percentage of contested shots, early in their possession.
“Several key reserves have stepped up on varsity in recent weeks, taking turns as starters, which has led to our newfound confidence, team chemistry and competitive resurgence,” said Parker.
The Chiefs went into halftime up by six and continued to outscore Lake Holcombe in the second, but the score doesn’t tell the whole story.
“Lake Holcombe remained within striking distance most of the game,” said Parker, “because they forced more turnovers, attacked the basket and made 74 percent of their free throws (14-19).”
At the end, it was Cornell who claimed the win, 70-57, to improve their record to 5-16 on the season and 2-12 in the league, while the Chieftains sit at 6-13 overall and 5-9 in conference play.
“This was a game of spurts, but we struggled to score when we needed to,” said Lake Holcombe coach Joy Webster.
Leading for the Chieftains, was senior Harley Schroeder, who added another double-double to his season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and also led the team with 5 assists. Sophomore Ryley Craker followed that up with 17 points, including four shots from long-range, and led the team with 3 steals.
Sophomore Brian Strzok added 11 points on the night, while junior Trent Nitek added 6 rebounds and 3 points. Junior Taye Yeager was right behind, coming up with 5 points, and Chase Burgess chipped in with 3 points.
For the Chiefs, senior Dylan Bowe led the way, continuously driving to the rim for a 7-10 shooting night from twopoint range, finishing with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, a block and a steal. Senior Blake Anders was again on-point from the free throw line, shooting 7/8, ending with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals.
Sophomore Parker Modl followed that up with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and a block, while Bentley Spangler also had 15 points, along with 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Sophomore Torren Parker also got on the board, with 6 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, with junior Jayden Joas-Shaw adding 2 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal.
Junior Will Peterson nabbed 2 rebounds for the Chiefs, while junior Carter Harycki came up with a rebound, as did freshman Zech Schmidt.
“We had our best rebounding game of the year (48), with three players posting career high totals and we had a seasonhigh six blocks,” said S. Parker. “In addition, our team shot 51 percent from two-point range and unselfishly racked up a season-high 18 assists.”
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Trent Nitek, Lake Holcombe junior, passes the ball downcourt to a teammate, but not without contention from a Cornell opponent Feb. 10, in an away match-up. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]
