HUMBOLDT — Crest High boys basketball routed Erie High in Humboldt’s preseason tournament Tuesday night, 59-26, with help from their energetic defense and an impressive performance from Kyle Hammond. LADY LANCER coach Ben Vaughn said Erie showed its speed, ball movement and strength from the start.
Hammond poured in 33 points as the Lancers started quickly and never looked back.
Crest’s girls found themselves at the other end of the spectrum as Erie rolled to a 45-12 win.
Crest (2-0) led 9-0 before Erie closed to within 13-8.
“We were sluggish at times, maybe a little dead-legged,” Crest head coach Travis Hermreck said.
After the first quarter the Lancers opened a double-digit lead over the Red Devils for the rest of the game.
“We put on a good run in the second half, and really locked them down on defense,” Hermreck said.
The Lancers outscored Erie 33-11 in the second half.
“We really moved the ball well tonight,” Hermreck said. “When Kyle started getting hot, we just started feeding him the ball.”
Hermreck said though his team played well, they need consistency on defense. He said the team can lose their “attack mode” and become too comfortable running their offense as well.
Hermreck attributed some of the team’s sluggishness from looking ahead to their next opponent.
“I think it may have had to do with Humboldt lurking around the corner, it was definitely in their heads,” Hermreck said.
Crest will play the Cubs at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the second round of Humboldt’s preseason tournament.
“We weren’t really ever a part of the game,” Vaughn said. “We can’t be totally disappointed because Erie is just that good. They really shot the ball well.”
Crest plays Humboldt’s girls at about 7 p.m. Thursday.
Hammond leads Crest
