HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt High basketball program kicked off its annual Emprise Bank Basketball Tournament on Tuesday night when both the boys and girls teams faced off against Uniontown.
In the girls matchup, the Lady Cubs defeated the Eagles, 50-37.
Uniontown jumped out to an early lead, but Humboldt hung close until taking charge of the game during the second half. After leading 19-15 at the start of the break, the Lady Cubs went on an offensive tear by outscoring the Eagles 21-7 in the third quarter.
Humboldt led by as much as 18 at one point.
Tilar Wells led the charge for the Lady Cubs’ offense, finishing the night with a team-high 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting, including 3-for-8 beyond the three-point arc.
Annalise Whitcomb and Makaylah McCall were just behind Wells on the scoring front with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
As a team, Humboldt shot just 17-for-48, which is 35 percent. But the Lady Cubs made the necessary shots to maintain a comfortable lead for the majority of the second half without allowing the Eagles an opportunity for a come- back.
In the boys game, the Cubs dismantled the Eagles, 68-36. Like in the girls contest, the boys had a slow start and allowed Uniontown to gain an early advantage. By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles led 15-14.
But behind a 22-point scoring performance by senior Rhett Smith, the Cubs were able to get their offense clicking. Smith finished the game 7-for-15 shooting, including 3-for-7 from three-point range.
Smith was one of three Cubs to reach double-digit scoring performances with the other two being Jacob Haviland (14) and Rayce Hoepker (13).
As a team, Humboldt shot 25-for-59 from the floor and 5-for-14 from three-point range. At one point, the Cubs led by as much as 33 points. Humboldt used an offensive outburst in the fourth quarter — outscoring Uniontown 21-2 — to make the once close contest a blowout.
On Thursday, the Cubs will match up against the Crest Lancers, who are also coming off a win in the first round of the Emprise Bank Basketball Tournament in Humboldt.
Humboldt sweeps Uniontown
