Cub boys’ hoopsters earn split

It was a lose-one, win-one week for the Kimball boys’ basketball team. On Tuesday, Jan. 9, the boys faced a very strong Rockford bunch, at Kimball. The Cubs fought hard and trailed by just a bucket at the hiatus, but the powerful Rockets took control and took the 14-point decision. Hitting the road Thursday, Kimball -handled Maple Lake, 78-54, to put a nice finishing touch on the week. 

Rockford game

Cubs stats: Carson Otto, 3 points; Bryant Knaus, 16 points, 4 rebounds; Owen Mortenson, 21 points; Ronnie Arnold, 2 points, 4 rebounds; Stang, 5 points; Jed Spaulding, 4 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists (Rockford led 24-22 at half-time). 

“It was a very competitive first half. We played our best defense of the season in the first frame. Rockford is very big and physical, and we battled and trailed by two at the break, 22-24. We ran out of gas in the second half and struggled making shots. Rockford built a 20-point lead at one point. We were able to narrow the margin in a 14-point loss. Overall, this was a great step for us… we just need to put two halves together,” Coach Jay Klein explained.

Maple Lake game

Cubs stats: Carson Otto, 5 points, 5 rebounds; -Peyton Hooper, 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds; Bryant Knaus, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists; Owen Mortenson, 11 points, 3 assists; Brandon Henkemeyer, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists; Ronnie Arnold, 7 points, 5 rebounds; Stang, 5 points, 3 assists; Jed Spaulding, 18 points, 22 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists (Kimball led 52-27 at half-time).

“We shot the ball very well in the first half (23/47). We had great energy and played very unselfishly, leading by 25 at the break. In the second half, we were a little sloppy with the ball and had very poor shot selection at times. It was nice to get the win after eight straight losses,” said Coach Jay Klein.