Colby can’t overcome cold shooting

Hornets lose lead, game to Bluejays

The holidays have done the Hornets no favors this season, and any Christmas cheer was hard to find after a cold second half shooting performance saw Colby fall to 2-3 on the year after surrendering an early lead to the Athens Bluejays in a non-conference road loss Monday night.

Colby opened with a 9-2 lead that had Athens on the ropes early, and the Hornets stopped the ‘Jays from scoring in the lane, but Athens returned the favor.

That wasn’t much of an issue through the first fifteen minutes as Colby filled the nets from Down Town. Brandon Voelker, Jaden Underwood and Richard Streveler all swished the net with threes, as Colby held a 19-16 lead with 1:08 to play.

Athens cut into that lead, but Colby held on for a 21-17 lead at the break. The Hornets stingy defense held every Bluejay under double digits, with only Kody Lepak scoring more than five points.

Colby’s sharp-shooting continued into the early minutes of the second half. An Underwood three gave Colby a 26-19 lead with 16:14 to play, but Athens proceeded to go on a 9-2 run off of Hornet turnovers, and tied the game at 28-28.

The ‘Jays tear continued, and that run turned into a 14-2 advantage over the next three minutes as the home team went up 36-30 with 9:16 remaining in regulation.

Colby splashed another triple to make it 39-33, but after keeping them down for one half, the Hornets could not stop the Bluejays in the paint. Aiden Janke dominated the glass, pulling down 16 rebounds. Those boards led to second chance points, and after a quiet first half in which Athens’ big man was held to five, Janke exploded for 15 second half points to lead all players with 20.

Janke wasn’t the only ‘Jay to heat up. Dayne Diethelm and Cooper Diedrich got in on the action, with Diethelm scoring eight of his ten points in the second half. Diedrich notched nine for eleven points and Lepak finished with ten points.

The Bluejays needed those points as Colby continued to keep it a single digit game. Voelker hit another three, and Jaden Underwood scored nine of his team high 14 points in the second frame.

Colby was only down 42-35 with 7:14 to play, but their offense completely disappeared in the final five minutes. Time and time again, Colby forced a stop, or got a turnover, but could not get anything going on their end of the court.

Worse, the Hornets could not stop Athens and their offense. Colby’s aggressive defense also led to free throws for the ‘Jays. Athens converted 11 of their 18 attempts, and over the final five minutes, the Hornets managed just five points.

Athens had no problem scoring, and ended the game on a 15-5 run to stop Colby 57-40, handing the Hornets its third loss of the year.

Outside of Underwood, no other Hornet scored in double figures. Streveler scored seven points, Voelker added six, Jeske added five and Tucker Meyer and Mason Schmutzler had two apiece.