The Humboldt Cubs snapped Crest’s nine-game win streak with a 51-48 victory Monday while opening local men’s action at the War on 54 Tournament at Iola Elementary School.
The Cubs avenged their loss last month to the Lancers with five third-quarter 3-pointers to give them enough breathing room to hold on for the win.
“We played really well and came out hot,” Humboldt coach Kason Siemens said.
Unlike their earlier encounter with the Lancers, where Humboldt lost 68-50, the Cubs returned senior guard Maston Sterling and sophomore guard Ty Shaughnessy to the lineup.
The pair missed the first month of the season while recovering from broken legs suffered while playing football.
Although the duo only combined for 6 points, their efforts on defense allowed those 6 points to matter in the end.
“I told the guys ‘We’re going to be a differ
ent team when we get Mason and Ty back,’” Siemens said. “It showed tonight. With Mason’s maturity, down the stretch, he really took care of the ball for us. They beat us by close to 20 at our home tournament. We’re not the same team they played earlier this year.”
With Humboldt’s defense holding Crest to a pair of scores in the first quarter, the Cub offense went to work as junior forwards Thatcher Mueller and sophomore forward Kolton Hanson each put in a pair of buckets. The duo had 9 points each on the night.
After ending the first quarter on a 12-5 run, almost exclusively on scores from inside, the Cubs extended their lead from the 3-point line on scores from Mueller and a pair of 3-pointers from sophomore guard Connor Newman, who ended the night with a team-leading 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers.
“A lot of guys, especially me, found our shot. It was like that all night,” Newman said. “I felt like we played a great game on both sides of the floor. We played really well as a team, which was great to see.
“Before break, we were playing with five or six guys some nights. Not having depth in some games really hurt us.”
Despite the slow start, Crest was not outgunned.
Sophomore guard Kole Walter pulled Crest back into contention with 11 of the Lancers’ 14 points in the second quarter.
Walter scored 19 points, including a pair of drives, a 3-pointer and a trio of free-throws.
Junior guard Lane Yocham scored 20 of his team-leading 22 points after the halftime break.
“By far, we were not consistent enough,” Crest coach Dakota Sporing said. “That was a game we deserved to lose. There were too many highs and lows. We came in and knew we would have to play. Record-wise, Humboldt was struggling. They have highs and lows, too, but they played well tonight.”
