Colby stifled by ‘Hawks
The Colby girls basketball team was dealt another tough loss last Friday evening when they took on Owen-Withee in their final conference game of the season. The Hornets were held to six points in the second half as the Blackhawks were able to sweep the season series 45-19.
The visiting Colby squad never led in the contest, falling into an early hole against the hosting Blackhawks. Owen-Withee grabbed momentum by scoring on six of their first nine possessions. Over the same span, the Hornets had five turnovers and, outside of a basket from Alexis Vanderhoof, were unable to find much against their opponent’s high trapping defense.
Down 12-2, Brynn Polivka connected on two free throws, Vanderhoof made a transition layup and Polivka made the Hornets sole three-point shot of the evening over Colby’s most productive stretch on offense. They cut the Owen-Withee lead down to seven, trailing 16-9 with six minutes left in the half. However, the Blackhawks’ shooting improved over the final stretch, putting up 11 points to Colby’s four and heading into halftime with a 27-13 advantage.
Defense was the name of the game as play resumed. The two Cloverbelt-East squads combined to score five points over the first six minutes of the half. The Hornets were able hold the Blackhawks to just two points and were able to find shots on the opposite end of the court, but were not able to capitalize, going 1-for-11 from the floor over the stretch.
Owen-Withee scored six straight points to go up by 19 before Angelique Hernandez was able to convert on an old-fashioned three-point play, making a layup through contact and hitting the following free throw. The free throw turned out to be the last points Colby would score as the Blackhawks’ defense held them without a basket over the final eight minutes of the contest.
Vanderhoof went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the loss, co-leading the team with six points. Polivka added six points of her own and had four steals. Hernandez finished with five points and four rebounds and Elizabeth Perez rounded out the scoring with two points. Lilly Brzezinski had six rebounds and Harrison Schmitt picked up five boards.
The Hornets will have one final contest before the postseason begins, playing against Thorp in the Cloverbelt crossover event on Thursday, Feb 15. The Cardinals are 3-20 this season and are coming off a 86-25 loss to McDonell. Their last win came on Dec. 19 against Stanley-Boyd, who they defeated 40-38. They have lost 13 straight contests since, with a 42-34 non-conference defeat to Cornell being the closest of the games.
They will then face off against Abbotsford in the first round of the WIAA Division 4 playoffs. Colby faced off against the Falcons in their first game of the season and fell 69-29. The Hornets will be looking to upset the fifth-seeded Abbotsford squad on Tuesday, Feb. 20, tipping off at 7:00 p.m.
