Colby playoffs

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points, 18 of which came in the second half, fueling the Hornets rally. Streveler put up another 20 points while leading the Hornets in rebounds and assists, ending the game with seven and four respectively. Both seniors ended the game with three steals each.

Hayes had six points, five blocks and four rebounds while Jaxon Polivka, Miguel Morillon and Landon Steinman all contributed two points each. Polivka also had four rebounds and Morillon had five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Colby will finish the season with a 12-13 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the Cloverbelt-East by going 9-5 in conference games.

“This team was a fun team to coach and be a part of. Each player is unique in their own way and they each bring something different to the table, and that’s what made practices and games very enjoyable,” Flink said of his team this year. “We played a lot of tough teams this season, and our players never complained once. Playing good competition and being competitive in those games really helped us get better this season, not just on the varsity level but on the JV1 and JV2 as well. I think there was a lot of improvement on all three levels.”

“Overall I think the seniors did a good job leading the team,” he added. “Zander [Engel] and Asa [Martin] did a good job all season working hard to help the team get better. Jaxon, Joseph, and Adrian were our team captions and did a great job all year for us. Jaxon was probably our best defender and the last four years whenever he stepped onto the court he never stopped hustling. Adrian was our best shooter, and has one of the quickest shots around. He really improved on the defensive end, too. Joseph was the only player we had coming back with varsity experience, and did a great job helping the other players adjust to the varsity level. He led the team in scoring, rebounds, and assists. Your leading scorer doesn’t usually lead the team in assists, but he kept looking to make the correct basketball play and not force shots. He’s a player who loves to be in the gym and he put in a lot of work over the past four years. I think the seniors did a good job of showing the younger players how to work hard not just in the season but in the off season.”

Looking ahead, the Hornets will likely have to find a new source of offense next season. As Flink alluded to Streveler, Lopez and Polivka were a big part of what the Hornets did on offense, finishing as the top three scorers on this year’s team and all three are set to graduate in the spring. Unlike this year, however, when Streveler was the only returner with significant minutes from the prior season’s squad, the 202425 version of the Hornets will have the chance to return a fair amount of players with varsity experience, with juniors Hayes, Steinman and Morillon as well as sophomore Reed Fleischmann logging significant time this season.

FINDING A LANE - Reed Fleischmann attacks the Red Raiders’ defense during the two teams’ second round playoff matchup.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

BIG BOX OUT - Joseph Streveler secures his position in the post while angling for a rebound against Marathon.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD