CHERRYVALE — Humboldt High had a distinct size advantage and speed advantage over host Cherryvale Thursday.
The Cubs didn’t let those advantages go to waste, either, blitzing their way to an early 14-0 lead.
Humboldt cruised from there in a 74-36 win, improving to 8-1, with the War on 54 Tournament on the horizon.
“Quite honestly, we don’t know how good we are,” Humboldt head coach David Taylor said. “We’ve played well, and we’ve done good things. Next week should tell us where we are.”
Humboldt’s defense, keyed by guards Mason Sterling and Blake Ellis, set the tone early.
Their steals and pinpoint passes led to three of Sam Hull’s four dunks in the first half of the first quarter.
“Mason and Blake were all over the place defensively,” Taylor said. “I was glad to see how Blake attacked the basket and distributed the ball.”
The Cubs wound up with a whopping 26 steals in the contest.
Humboldt took a 24-8 lead into the second quarter, and extended that advantage to 51-13 by halftime.
The only blemish on Humboldt’s side of the ledger was some sloppiness in the second half, which allowed Cherryvale to find its offensive flow down the stretch.
But it mattered little in terms of the game’s outcome.
Hull wound up scoring 24 points, despite going to the bench midway through the third quarter. Colden Cook followed with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Asher Hart scored 10 with five steals, Sterling had eight points and three steals. Logan Page had five steals as well. Avery Works chipped in with four assists. Ellis also had three steals.
Landon Fox scored 14 to lead Cherryvale.
Humboldt opens the War on 54 with a first-round matchup against Crest at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Iola Elementary School. From there, the Cubs will play either Anderson County or Yates Center on Thursday.
