HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High’s boys were unable to overcome a tough matchup posed by visiting Erie High Friday.
With two towering front-line players, including 6-5 junior Eric Dillinger, Erie outscored Humboldt 15-7 after one quarter and never looked back in a 51-38 victory. Dillinger scored 27 in the win, including 12 in the fourth quarter to thwart any hope for a Humboldt comeback.
In girls’ action, Humboldt pulled out a thrilling 39-37 victory.
While Humboldt head coach David Taylor can game plan against teams with one standout performer, “we just don’t match up well with them,” he said.
Still, the Cubs clawed to within 24-22 at halftime and 36-31 at the end of three.
“The kids played hard, extremely hard,” Taylor said. “We did what we wanted to do. Their big kid, the Dillinger kid, took control in the fourth. We couldn’t match it.”
Trey Sommer paced the Cubs with 16 points and seven rebounds. Drake Harrington added nine points and two assists before fouling out. Levi McGowen added eight points, Gavin Page had four and Drew Wilhite one. Wilhite also had three assists.
“Erie’s good,” Taylor said. “I was very impressed with them. It’s a tough matchup, when somebody has two bigs.”
Humboldt hosts Eureka Tuesday.
