The Humboldt High boys used a last minute roll in from Sam Hull to propel their way to victory over Wichita-Trinity Academy 53-52 in a Class 3A substate playoff matchup Friday night.
Hull and the Cubs were the more physical team against the Knights defense when they were able to drive in for layups. Colden Cook went on a run in the first half when he rattled off four straight layups for a 20-4 lead.
Trey Sommer also hit a three and a layup and Humboldt took a 20-10 lead heading to the second.
“Our transition was really good but we were filling the right spots,” said Humboldt head coach David Taylor. “Our decision making is what allowed us to be successful.”
Trinity Academy took over in the second quarter when they outscored Humboldt, 18-6. The Knights relied on some crucial three’s from Kolton Schaffer and Jacob Wuthnow throughout the second to make it a one-point game with two minutes left in the half.
The Knights took a 28-26 lead over the Cubs at halftime.
“What got us out of sorts is it got us to slow down our transition and we made poor decisions against their zone,” Taylor noted.
Led by turning the ball over less and grabbing rebounds to create extra possessions on the offensive end, the Cubs cleaned it up again offensively in the third. Logan Paige netted a couple of layups and a free throw and Hull went for two more baskets inside the arc.
A momentous moment for Humboldt came on defense with three minutes left in the third when Mason Sterling stepped in front of a pass from the Knights point guard and went full court for a 36-30 lead.
The Cubs held Trinity Academy to only only four baskets in the third quarter and grabbed a 43-37 lead heading to the fourth.
Humboldt went up by seven two minutes into the fourth when Cook went for a layup and drew a foul for a seven-point lead, 47-41.
It didn’t last long though as Trinity-Academy went on an 11-4 scoring run through the final five minutes and took a 52-51 lead with 36 seconds left in the game. The Knights were assisted by a couple of Noah Roberson baskets and another three from Wuthnow.
That’s when Hull went beast mode and put up a layup with six seconds remaining in the game for a one point lead, 53-52. Trinity-Academy was unsuccessful in making a basket on the other end.
“We wouldn’t have any momentum if we didn’t win,” Taylor chuckled. “We wouldn’t be playing. Like I told them, you have to get to the game to see what’s going to happen.”
Humbolt was led offensively by Cook’s 18 points and Hull and Sommer’s 13 points apiece. Hull led with 11 rebound’s and Cook grabbed four. The Cubs shot 52.4% from the field in the game.
