Dragons defeat Rams in with more than 20-point lead

Friday, Feb. 17, the Dragons raised expectations for playoffs with a significant victory against the Akron Rams. Holyoke’s boys basketball team retained a nearly 20-point difference in every quarter throughout the game. After a while, Dragon fans knew what to expect as the scoreboard began to maximize their side.

“Our boys played really well,” Holyoke’s Head Coach Colbey Stumpf said. “We didn’t really know what to expect.”

The first quarter started strong for the Dragons, even though the game’s trajectory seemed unclear. 

“We just had to go in,” Stumpf said, “trust what we were running, and trust our teammates.” 

Holyoke’s Cash Weber and Wyatt Sprague tried their hand against Akron, since the last time the teams faced each other, at the Holiday Tournament, Cash and Wyatt were absent. For the Dragons, Chase Johnson scored the game’s first points at the free throw line. This did not stop Akron from fixating on the basket, with the Rams’ Andrew Filla shooting two layups. The final score of the first quarter was 12-8, with the Dragons in the lead.

During the second quarter, the Rams started to use their horns. Filla and Ryan McCaffrey made significant points from the free-throw line and one 3-pointer from Filla. The Dragons started spitting fire as Wyatt and Cash scored 12 points. This back-and-forth conflict caused turnovers from both teams, with 25 from Akron and 10 less from Holyoke. Through all of this, the scoreboard read 31-16, with the Dragons, again, in the lead.

The third quarter was eventful for both teams. Six points came from Holyoke, and five points from Akron. The hope of making it to districts was prevalent on both sides, fueling the combat. Reid Sprague pocketed points from three 2-pointers. Following these points, Akron’s Ivan Losa came from the shadows of the court and shot free throws and a layup. This third quarter was one to reckon with, tightening the scores 37-21.

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