Boys lose hard-fought games

With back-to-back games last Friday and Saturday, Holyoke High School basketball had a busy weekend. For the varsity boys, it was a disappointing weekend too. In Ovid on Jan. 24, the Dragons lost 51-37 to the Sedgwick County Cougars. At home on Jan. 25, HHS lost 66-44 to the Wray Eagles.

Both games saw tough competition and their fair share of moments that the Dragons can be proud of, but foul trouble played a big role in the opposition’s victory each night.

Holyoke 37, Sedgwick Co. 51

Friday’s contest started out rather slow, with the Cougars scoring just four points and the Dragons eight in the first quarter. By the end of the second, though, Sedgwick County had pulled ahead 19-15.

Still quite the close game going into the second half, the Cougars outscored the Dragons 16-11 in the third quarter and extended their lead to 35-26. HHS didn’t give up. In the final quarter, Holyoke posted 11, but Sedgwick County added 16 and claimed a 51-37 victory.

Ethan Johnson was far and away the best shooter for the Dragons last Friday. He made 22 points, including three 3-pointers. As a team, Holyoke made an impressive 77% of its foul shots, in large part due to Johnson making all of his seven free throws. Despite making just 63% themselves, the Cougars outscored the Dragons from the free throw line because they were allowed 27 attempts.

The full article is available in our e-Edition. Click here to subscribe.