Boys Lose to Cadets in Conference Tourney
By: Izzy Hollatz, a freshman at Leigh High School
The Patriot boys’ basketball team earned the #2-ranking going into the East Husker Conference tournament, which earned them a first-round bye.
In the second-round, they faced the #7 West Point-Beemer Cadets on February 1st in Clarkson.
The Cadets entered this game with an 8-10 record, so it looked good for the Patriots with their 14-2 record. They also were feeling good about their number 2 ranking in the Conference tournament, but this wasn’t quite enough to come out with a win.
The first two quarters were pretty close, and it was a tied game going into halftime at 24-24. After half time, it was a slow start for the Patriots as the Cadets outscored them 5-11 in the third quarter. The Patriots were having trouble knocking down shots and making plays.
The fourth quarter was much better, but this unfortunately wasn’t enough to pull off a win. The final score of the game was 47-50, not in the Patriots’ favor. After this loss, it brings the Patriot boys to a 14-3 record for the season.
Overall, senior Jarred Novotny had a great game and led the team in points with 27. Junior Mason Whitmore led the team in rebounds with 9. Close behind him was senior Carter Hanel with 7.
When asked about the game, head coach Jeff Bachman said, “This was a disappointing loss for us. I was proud of how our guys played, but ultimately, we didn’t make enough plays to win the game.”
Mason Whitmore, junior, said, “We played well against West-Point Beemer, but there are things that we need to get better on as a team. We aren’t going to let this loss affect the rest of our season, and we are going to come back with more fire than ever.”
Game Stats vs. West Point-Beemer
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Clarkson-Leigh 13 11 5 18 47
West Point-Beemer 8 16 11 15 50
Individual Stats: (points, rebounds, assists, steals)
Jarred Novotny: 27, 3, 0, 1; Mason Whitmore: 7, 9, 3, 1; Eli Hays: 6, 3, 4, 4; Drew Beeson: 0, 3, 2, 0; Carter Hanel: 3, 7, 3, 1; Mitch Beeson: 4, 4, 0, 1