Chieftains steal one from Panthers, drop to Bulldogs

By Ginna Young

Lake Holcombe had a good start to the week, for their girls basketball program, before running into a roadblock later on.

Dec. 10 vs. Prairie Farm conference (W 37-34)

In their first game, the Chieftains were at home, as Prairie Farm came to call in what became an East Lakeland Conference battle. The match was a nail-biter, especially when junior Alexia Hoffner and sophomore Chloe Irwin fouled out, with a lot of minutes left in the game.

The freshmen at Lake Holcombe really stepped it up for their teammates and the Chieftains held on, for a slim 37-34 victory.

“We have shown constant improvement in each game, which was a major season goal for us and I look to see that growth continue to develop,” said coach Matthew Stewart. “Our defense looked really solid and was able to generate a lot of turnovers, which converted into easy points in transition.”

Sophomore Payton Birkenholz finished the game with 21 points, followed by freshman Leyla Beaudin, with 7. Sophomore Chloe Irwin was right behind, with 6 and sophomore Maria Andres added 3 points.

“Overall, I think this was our highest quality game, so far, of the year, and I look to watch them continue to grow as a unit,” said Stewart.

Dec. 16 vs. Boyceville non-conference (L 55-16)

Almost a whole week later, the Chieftains were on the road to Boyceville, but offense was sorely lacking. Lake Holcombe was handed a 55-16 defeat from the non-conference opponent.

They are now 2-3 overall on the season and 1-0 in the league.