HUMBOLDT — When Humboldt High’s boys took to the court Monday, head coach David Taylor figured he’d deploy a full-court press in an attempt to rattle visiting Eureka.
“We tried to run it a couple times, and it kind of went south,” Taylor explained. “I figured, the heck with it, let’s see what we can do in the half-court.”
Quite well.
After spotting Eureka an early 5-4 lead, Humboldt took over at both ends of the court. By the time the dust settled on the Cubs’ 35-2 run, they were well on their way to a 61-16 victory.
“It’s fun to watch these kids get after it,” Taylor said afterward. “I didn’t have to yell at them at all.”
Setting the tone was the Cub defense, complimented by a dominating night on the boards.
Mason Sterling had seven steals, while Colden Cook had six to go with his game-high 20 points.
“Defense is what fuels it,” Taylor noted. “These kids are all so unselfish. Mason’s had three really good games in a row, and Asher Hart came in and gave us a couple of big buckets.”
The pace didn’t slow much after the break, even after Taylor began dipping deeper into his bench. (None of his starters saw the court after the third quarter.)
The lead stretched to 60-13 by the start of the fourth period.
Hart scored 13, while Sterling had eight and Blake Ellis scored seven. Cook and Tre Franklin shared the team lead with five rebounds each.
Perhaps most pleasing, Taylor said, was watching his upperclassmen work with the team’s freshmen and sophomores.
“Our young kids don’t get in real early most nights because they need to learn some stuff,” Taylor said. “But our seniors and juniors have done a good job of teaching them how things need to be done, so when they get older, they’ll be successful.”
MEANWHILE, Humboldt’s Thatcher Mueller scored 13 and Kolton Hanson had 10 in the junior varsity’s 47-39 victory. Conner Newman and Ty Shaughnessy added seven and six points, respectively. Luke Coronado chipped in with five, while Avion Seamster, Bentlee Anderson and Weston Johnson had two each.
Eureka won a 26-8 C team matchup in two quarters. Jack Works scored four for Humboldt. Seamster and Corbin Bowers scored two apiece.
