On Monday, Feb. 5, the Kimball Cubs boys’ basketball team hosted Royalton in what would be an exciting nonconference matchup. Royalton, known for their 2-3 zone defense, jumped out to an early, lead but the Cubs adjusted nicely on the offensive end as they found open shots against the zone. Stephen Kurkosky dropped two big three-pointers and Jon Gilpatrick hit a field goal at the first-half buzzer to give Kimball a nice run and the momentum at the end of the first half leading 27-23. In the second half, Kimball’s defense proved to be the difference as they allowed only 12 second-half points securing a 43-35 victory. Sam Scheeler played well in the low post for the Cubs scoring 18 points, with 12 of those points coming in the second half. Bobby Arens added seven points on the night; Kurkosky, six; Scott Nystrom and Andy Dingmann each had five points; and Gilpatrick two. On Thursday, Feb. 8, Kimball traveled to Rockford with the hopes of avenging an earlier season 63-49 loss to the Rockets. The Cubs played hard on the road, and showed that they have improved since their earlier matchup. However, Kimball fell by a score of 48-43 but their were many bright spots. Sam Scheeler again played well on the offensive end proving he can play at a high level in consecutive games. Scheeler scored 16 points on the night. Scott Nystrom played a great first half, scoring 14 points. Eric Nystrom returned to action after missing two games with a shoulder injury to add six points. Andy Dingmann finished with three points, while Pat Libbesmeier and Bobby Arens each chipped in two points to round out the scoring. The Cubs’ team defense played outstanding, holding their opponent to under 50 points for the third game in a row giving them a chance to win the game down the stretch.
