Colby takes down Rockets at home Abby boys BB

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Colby Hornets boys basketball team improved to 3-0 in the Cloverbelt-East after defeating the Spencer Rockets at home last Friday evening. Joseph Streveler scored 27 points, Adrian Lopez hit a trio of threes and the Hornets used a big second-half run to pull away from Spencer in their 70-56 victory.

While the Rockets were able to overcome one double-digit deficit, they could not keep up with Colby’s offense in the second period. The Hornets seemed poised to take control at a number of points in the contest, but it wasn’t until their run in response to falling behind for the first time in the game that they were finally able to pull away from the visitors for good.

Colby could not seem to shake their conference foes through the first 21 minutes. After pulling out to a 6-0 lead to open the game, the Rockets responded by tying the game at 11-11. A field goal from Streveler broke the tie and the Hornets seemed to take the momentum, outscoring Spencer 16-5 over the next eight minutes of game time. Streveler put up nine points over the stretch, helping drive Colby to an 11-point advantage.

But the Rockets still refused to go away. They scored six straight points to end the half and then went on an 8-2 run to open the second period. Spencer’s Weston Nieman hit a three to cap off the run, putting the visitors up 30-29 for their first lead of the game.

The Hornets made sure that it was short lived, as a Tucker Hayes’ free throw tied the game up at 30-30 and a clutch three from Lopez put his team back on top. The pair of shots triggered a streak of 10 straight points for Colby, ending with a heads up steal by Jaxon Polivka that led to two made free throws for the senior.

This was the opening of what would be a dominant stretch in which the Hornets scored 27 points while holding Spencer to just nine. Another basket from Polivka gave Colby a 21-point advantage late and, despite a few late three-point shots from the Rockets, the home team still walked away with a comfortable 70-56 victory.

Streveler shot over 60 percent from the field, connecting on 13 of his 21 attempts while also bringing down a teamhigh eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. Lopez ended with 13 points and six rebounds and Polivka had 10 points, five rebounds and four steals. Hayes was 3-for-5 shooting and had seven points, Miguel Morillon had five points, four assists and four steals and Gavin Voss had four points and five rebounds. Reed Fleischmann and Landon Steinman both had two points and Fleischmann recorded seven rebounds and three assists.

The win pushed the Hornets to .500 on the season with a 3-3 record. They will look to remain undefeated in the conference as they travel to Greenwood this Thursday, Dec. 21 to take on the Indians. Last year, the Hornets swept the series, winning 68-44 and 74-23 in the two matchup.

This season, Greenwood is 0-5 and is coming off a 53-25 loss to Gilman last Friday. The Indians have struggled offensively, scoring just 25.8 points per game. Freshman Keegan Gipe has been their top scorer early, averaging 11.8 points per game.

Tipoff for the Cloverbelt-East bout is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

CANNOT BE DENIED - Joseph Streveler lofts up a jumper in the lane against Spencer. The Rockets could not stop the Colby senior, who had 27 points in the win. STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD