Wins over Akron, Caliche boost Holyoke’s conference record to 4-4

Conference play ended on a high note for Holyoke boys basketball, which won both games last weekend. That gives the Dragons a 4-4 record in their conference games and a 6-12 record overall.

On Feb. 13, HHS traveled to Akron and beat the Rams 50-40. On Feb. 14, the Dragons hosted the Caliche Buffaloes and won 44-30. Only one regular-season game remains for the Dragons before post-season action starts with district tournaments.

Holyoke 50, Akron 40

Coming off a win the Saturday before, the Holyoke Dragons kept their streak alive with a 50-40 win in Akron last Thursday. The game started off close with both teams scoring 13 points in the first quarter. On both ends of the court, players hit their 3-pointers early on before the defense tightened up on the outside shots.

Holyoke outscored Akron 12-9 in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 25-22 lead.

While the Dragons were on top of their free throws in the third quarter, the Rams outscored them by two and cut into the lead. It was still anyone’s game going into the fourth, but the Dragons kept their cool. Where they may have gotten into foul trouble earlier in the season, they played smart Thursday. The Rams, however, seemed to get desperate and got into some foul trouble themselves.

Most of Holyoke’s 15 points in the final period were scored from the free-throw line. Akron put six points on the board before it was over but lost 50-40.

Scoring the most points for HHS was Slaten Burris with 12, including two of two attempted free throws. Miles Sprague led in rebounds with six. As a team, Holyoke made 71% of its foul shots, while Akron made just 14%.

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