HUMBOLDT — Monday’s Humboldt High girls basketball game had a few fleeting moments of success.
But for every misstep, Eureka High’s dynamic duo of Brenna Rucker and Laynie Winfrey were there to make the Lady Cubs pay.
Winfrey scored 27 points and Rucker 16 as Eureka took control, courtesy of an early 18-0 run spanning much of the first quarter.
The Lady Cubs stemmed the tide, somewhat, in the second quarter, before Eureka emerged after halftime with another storm warning, pouring in 25 third-quarter points to roll to a 69-32 victory.
The loss marked the first setback of the 2024-25 season for Humboldt (4-1), which has another tough matchup Thursday at Neodesha to wrap up the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule.
“There are times when we do things beautifully,” Lady Cub head coach Aubrey Jones said. “But when we get timid with the ball, we’re in trouble.”
Humboldt opened by scoring the game’s first four points, but Eureka turned a series of Lady Cub turnovers into a 18-4 lead in a 5-minute span.
Winfrey scored eight and Rucker six during the stretch.
“They’re very good at looking for each other,” Jones said. “They’re both good shooters and they run the floor really well.”
Humboldt’s Chanlynn Wrestler and Skylar Hottenstein both had 3-pointers to help Humboldt stay within shouting distance, but the Lady Cubs still trailed, 33-19, at the break.
Winfrey took over in the third quarter, scoring inside, outside and everywhere in between. The Tornadoes stretched the lead to 58-30 by the end of the quarter.
Shelby Shaughnessy led Humboldt with 14 points. Wrestler added six. Karingten Hall notched five.
“We just had too many turnovers,” Jones said. “We can play well, but we can also be our own worst enemy.”
Eureka (20-13-25-11—69)
FG/3pt FT F TP
