Finishing strong is going well for the Chieftains
By Ginna Young
It was a long week for the Lake Holcombe boys basketball program, but a successful one, as they took on a trio of non-conference opponents.
Dec. 3 vs. LCO non-conference (W 51-46)
Playing host to the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) squad, the Chieftains were down at the break, but stepped it up in the second half, to not only recoup points against LCO, but pull ahead for a 51-46 victory.
“ It was game of unforced turnovers, but we still found a way to finish the game,” said coach Dave Engel, “largely on the shoulders of Emmit Johnson’s ability to get to the rim and Brian Strzok finishing the game at the line.”
Johnson, a sophomore, knocked down four shots from beyond the arc, ending with 23 points, followed by the senior Strzok, with 18 points. Sophomore Evin Tainter also got on the board, connecting on a three-pointer, with senior Trent Lee, junior Brody Miller and sophomore Connor Kane all adding 2 points.
Dec. 5 vs. Gilman non-conference (W 51-43)
A couple nights later, Lake Holcombe called on Gilman, in a close match-up. By halftime, the game was deadlocked at 23-23, with much the same story in the second half, but with just four minutes left to go, the Chieftains pulled away, to take a 51-43 win.
“We finished strong at the line and pulled down some big rebounds with our big guys inside,” said Engel. “Emmit Johnson and Brian Strzok had another big night, but Conner Kane on the boards was the difference in this game.”
Johnson again led, with 23 points, with Strzok coming up with 17. Miller followed that with 6, while Kane had 4 and Lee chipped in with a free throw.
Dec. 6 vs. Luck non-conference (L 89-60)
With no time to catch a breath, the Chieftains saw Luck come to town, but fell behind quickly, after five shots from long range fell in just the opening 10 minutes of the game. Another three buckets later in the half, also helped Luck take a commanding 53-19 lead into the break.
“We were unable to find the bottom of bucket in the first half, but we were able to get good looks,” said Engel.
Strzok found Johnson in the second half to add points on the board, but it still wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit and Lake Holcombe conceded defeat, 89-60.
Johnson racked up an impressive 26 points on the night, with four shots from beyond the arc, while Strzok was right behind, with 22 points and a pair of threes. Kane added 6 points to the mix, with Miller recording 4 and Lee chipping in with 2 points.
Lake Holcombe’s record is now 2-2 on the season.
