Cubs fall short in road showdown at unbeaten Eureka

EUREKA — Humboldt High’s boys will have a tough road ahead for any hopes of a repeat trip to the Class 3A state tournament.
But if Monday is any indication, the Cubs look equipped to make plenty of postseason noise.
Humboldt took host Eureka to the brink, closing to within two points down the stretch before the Tornadoes made just enough plays down the stretch to escape with a 61-56 victory.
The key sequence came when Eureka led by two and was shooting free throws with about 18 seconds left.
The free throw was off the mark, “but four of our guys let the ball get away and they got the offensive rebound,” Humboldt head coach David Taylor said. “They’re not the type of team that misses free throws. Of course, we had to foul again.”
Given a second opportunity, Eureka hit its free throws to seal the win.
The loss drops Humboldt to 16-3 on the season, while Eureka remains unbeaten at 19-0.
The game started off on a tough note. The Tornadoes raced to a 20-10 lead after one quarter and 36-23 by halftime.
“The kids just kept battling,” Cub head coach David Taylor said. “It was a good ball game. I thought we outplayed them in the second half. The problem was, you can’t let a team like that score 20 on you in the first quarter.”
Humboldt wasn’t in the mood to go home without a fight, even with its early deficit.
“I was very pleased with how our kids battled,” Taylor said. “I felt bad for them, but that’s why you play.”
The Cubs pulled to within 48-42 after three periods.
Markiz Pulliam hit 8 of 10 field goals to pace Humboldt with 18 points and six rebounds. Hunter Murrow followed with 11 points, seven boards and seven assists. Kason Siemens scored 10.
“I was really pleased with how Markiz played, at both ends of the court,” Taylor said. “And Hunter really played well in the second half.”
Humboldt wraps up the regular season tonight at home against Cherryvale before substate play begins next week. Despite its lofty record, Humboldt may be relegated to the third seed with undefeated Council Grove and 15-3 Wellsville in the mix.
“We have a tough substate, but for this team, it’s not who you’re playing, but how they’re playing,” Taylor said. “If we play well, we have a shot. Fortunately for us, we’ve only really had one game this season where we haven’t played well.