Basketball boys come through in the clutch against Caliche

    Last Thursday, Feb. 8, Holyoke High School’s boys basketball had a close game at Caliche, but as coach Scott Dille said, “Our kids definitely made the plays that they absolutely needed to, which is awesome.” In the end, the Dragons came out on top, 64-58.
    It was an evenly matched first quarter, ending with the Dragons narrowly ahead, 13-12. Caliche boasted a couple of strong shooters making the majority of their shots, but Holyoke’s points were a collaborative effort across the team.
    The second period saw more of the Caliche team getting in on the action, and they swapped placed with HHS for a one-point lead at the half.
    Coming back for the third quarter, the Dragons hit their opponents hard, adding 20 points to the scoreboard. Andy Dominguez shot exceptionally well from outside. Dille noted the team did a good job of “attacking the basket.” Additionally he said, “We had stretches where we really rebounded the ball well.”
    Leading 46-41, HHS left their mark in the fourth quarter with some of the best free-throw shooting they’ve seen this season. Caliche’s strong shooters continued to perform well in the final quarter and kept pace with the Dragons. However, Holyoke scored 18 and Caliche only 17, allowing for a 64-58 win for the visiting team.
    Overall, Dille mentioned that the team will be working on sharper defense and doing a better job containing dribble penetration.
    Dominguez led HHS in points, scoring 24, primarily in the second half. That included four 3-pointers and eight of 10 foul shots. Tate Dille scored 18 points, followed by Blake Mosenteen 12. As a team, HHS shot 80 percent from the free-throw line, compared to Caliche’s 50 percent.
    Dille led his team in rebounds (12), steals (five) and blocks (three). Anthony Beltran led in assists (four).

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