HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High’s Cubs broke out of the gates with a flash Friday.
The Cubs raced to a double-digit advantage by the end of the first quarter, and were never really threatened down the stretch.
But the 76-67 win over Fredonia High on Homecoming Night, which included a different kind of triple-double from senior standout Conor Haviland, was anything but easy.
Head coach David Taylor described the win as “a struggle.”
“The first half we were doing some good things,” he said. “We weren’t always able to stay on the right path after that.”
The Cubs saw their advantage shrink to two, 44-42, after Fredonia’s Layne Mayeske scored five straight points.
But with a key sequence late in the period, keyed by seniors Isaiah Coronado and Conor Haviland keyed an 8-2 run to end the frame to re-establish an eight-point lead.
The Cubs hit just enough free throws down the stretch to keep Fredonia at bay.
“We turned up the heat a bit in the fourth,” Taylor said. “It helps get some steals and some runouts. If we would have made free throws, it’s not even that close.”
The Cubs shot a cool 16 of 35 from the line.
Five Cubs hit the scoreboard in the first quarter, before Haviland took over from there. He scored eight of his game-high 25 in the second as the Cubs cruised to a 40-29 lead at the break.
But an extended halftime — Cooper Jaro and Taylor Beeman were crowned Homecoming king and queen — cooled the Cubs’ momentum.
“It seemed to freeze us out,” Taylor said. “We always talk about starting well the first three minutes of the second half, and we didn’t have it.”
Fredonia outscored Humboldt 13-4 to open the third.
“They scrapped,” Taylor said.
Haviland chalked up another memorable night on the stat sheet. He pulled in a whopping 15 rebounds (seven on the offensive end) and had 10 steals. Coronado followed with 20 points, while Drew Wilhite chipped in with seven boards and four assists.
Connor O’Neal paced Fredonia with 19 points, followed by Grayson Coulter close behind with 18 and Mayeske with 12.
