Foley
Cubs boys’ basketball head coach Jay Klein described his team’s first-half performance versus the Foley Falcons “as poorly as we have played all season.” In that half, the Cubs committed 13 turnovers. The defense played well enough, according to Coach Klein, to go into halftime leading 26-24.
The Cubs came out differently in that second half and reaped the rewards to pull away with the 76-46 road win on Monday, Jan. 13.
“After making some halftime adjustments, we were a completely different team in the second frame,” Coach Klein said via email. “We played with much more spirit and energy.”
Every Cubs player logged some minutes in this game, seeing 10 of the team’s 12 players score.
“It was a great finish,” Coach Klein said, “heading into our showdown with conference rival Holdingford on Tuesday.”
Owen Mortenson led the Cubs with 16 points. Jed Spaulding recorded a double-double performance with 12 points and 14 rebounds, nearly recording a -triple-double with eight assists, along with five steals. Bryant Knaus chipped in 11 points, and Brandon Henkemeyer 10 points to also pace the Cubs.
Holdingford
After a first half that Coach Klein described as “very competitive,” the Cubs went into halftime leading the Holdingford Huskers 29-25.
The Cubs maintained its four-point edge during the opening couple of minutes of the second half, at 33-29, but then “hit a wall,” according to Coach Klein, and dropped the road rivalry match-up by a 69-43 final on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“We had played four games from last Thursday to Tuesday,” Coach Klein said via email, “and [we] ran out of gas.”
In the first half, the Cubs fell behind early 11-4, but went on an 11-3 run to grab a 15-14 before going into halftime with that four-point edge.
In that second half, after taking that 33-29 lead, the Cubs allowed a 14-0 Huskers scoring run to fall behind 33-43. Later the Huskers went on another long scoring run, this one 15-0, to put the Cubs in a 41-66 hole.
Owen Mortenson paced the Cubs with 13 points, followed by Bryant Knaus with 12 points. Brandon Henkemeyer chipped in six assists, Jed Spaulding 15 rebounds, and Carl Knaus three blocks to also lead the Cubs.
Eden Valley-Watkins
The Cubs and Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles traded punches throughout the game. In the second half, the Cubs built its lead to 11 on three occasions, but the Eagles kept rallying back.
With 20 seconds remaining, the Cubs led 49-46. The Eagles then sunk a three to tie the game at 49-49. On the ensuing possession, the Cubs delivered the final punch.
The team pushed the ball up the court, and Brandon Henkemeyer would get fouled while shooting with three seconds left. He “calmly” sunk two free throws, according to Coach Klein, to give the Cubs a two-point lead.
The Eagles missed a shot at the buzzer, and the Cubs escaped with the 51-49 conference home win on Friday, Jan. 17.
“When things became very close at the end,” Coach Klein said via email, “Brandon really stepped up with a big three-pointer and those two free throws to win the game.”
The two teams traded punches in the first half. The Eagles jumped to a 5-0 lead before the Cubs answered with a 11-2 run to grab an 11-7 edge. The Cubs would extend its lead to 12 points, at 26-14, with just under four minutes remaining in the half. The Eagles responded with a 10-2 run to end the half, cutting the Cubs’ halftime lead to four, at 28-24.
Mortenson led the Cubs with 13 points, followed by Henkemeyer with 12 points. Jed Spaulding nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds, and Andray Stang chipped in nine points to also pace the Cubs.
Next action
The boys remain home to host Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Thursday, Jan. 23, and then end the week with a road game versus Rockford on Saturday, Jan. 25. The following week, they return home to host Upsala on Monday, Jan. 27, and then Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa on Tuesday, Jan. 28.