HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt High boys and girls split a pair of home games against Fredonia to tip-off their 2023 slate Tuesday.
The Lady Cubs (4-3) allowed a rough third quarter to get the best of them in a 45-36 loss to Fredonia while the boy Cubs (7-0) stayed undefeated by knocking off the Yellowjackets behind an overall efficient performance, 66-53.
Girls Basketball
It was a tale of two halves for the Lady Cubs. By the end of the first, the girls were down by only two. But the Yellowjackets came out of the locker room a different team after the break and ultimately prevailed.
Kennisyn Hottenstein and Carson Haviland were both factors early on for the Humboldt girls. The duo combined to net 11 points in the opening half. Haviland notched a pair of layups and a couple of free throws to lead the way while Hottenstein hit a three in the second.
Fredonia’s Natalie Jenkins knocked down a three and a two-pointer in the opening quarter before going in for another layup in the second quarter. Madison Jenkins also helped lead the Yellowjackets’ first half offensive attack with a pair of layups and a free throw.
Humboldt trailed Fredonia at halftime, 19-17.
The Lady Cubs were held to six points in the third when Shelby Shaughnessy, Karley Wools and Haviland each dribbled inside for layups. They were met with Fredonia pouring on 16 points behind Campbell Odell’s three and layup and a pair of Zoey Sims two-pointers.
Fredonia jumped ahead and took a 12-point lead heading to the fourth, 35-23.
Wools helped her Lady Cubs outscore the Yellowjackets in the fourth, 13-10, but it simply wasn’t enough. Shaughnessy also added a pair of two-pointers to lead Humboldt’s fourth quarter attack.
Shaughnessy and Haviland led Humboldt’s scoring with 10 points apiece, followed by Wools’s nine points and Hottenstein’s five.
Humboldt (15/1-3-20—36) (FG/3pt-FT-F—TP): Jones 1-0-1-2, S. Hottenstein 0-0-1-0, K. Hottenstein 1/1-0-5-5, Shaughnessy 5-0-3-10, Haviland 4-2-5-10, Hillmon 0-0-1-0, Wools 4-1-4-9.
Fredonia (13/4-7-15—45) (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): M. Jenkins 2-1-1-5, N. Jenkins 4/1-2-2-13, Odell 1/2-1-3-9, Spohn 1-0-4-3, Bracken 2-1-1-5, Sims 3-2-2-8, Blackwell 1-0-1-2.
Boys Basketball
The Humboldt boys were dominant as ever offensively and cleaned up nicely enough defensively in the first half to take a 66-53 victory over Fredonia.
Colden Cook and Trey Sommer led the Cubs on both ends of the floor against the Yellowjackets, scoring 23 and 21 points respectively. Cook also snatched four steals and two turnovers while Sommer grabbed a steal and a turnover as well.
“They want to do well, it’s just a matter of us doing everything we need to do well,” said Humboldt coach David Taylor. “Whether it be intensity, effort, knowing what we’re doing on offense, knowing what we’re doing on defense. Those are all things that if we continue to progress, who knows what could happen. I think we could have a good year.”
Humboldt’s defense shined in the first half by limiting Fredonia to 15 points, including only three in the first quarter. The majority of the Yellowjackets’ points were delivered from Jeremiah Couch and Zac Ramsey, each netting four points.
