Second Half Surge Pummels The Buffaloes
The Indians split their games with Rawlins County on Tuesday, January 24, in St. Francis. The junior varsity Indians lost to the Buffaloes by a score of 40-49. The varsity Indians used a blitz beginning late in the second quarter and extending throughout much of the second half to overpower the Buffs 72-42.
Rawlins County set the tone of the junior varsity game with a steal-two to open the contest. After a Brady Dinkel drive, RC's Samuel Hurst (6' 2" sophomore) added three points to give the Buffs a 2-5 advantage. St. Francis soon regained the lead (6-5) on an assist by Jake Faulkender leading to another Dinkel score. RC then went on a 9-0 run to take a 6-14 lead over the Indians. Then, it was St. Francis' turn. The Indians scored 8 unanswered points to tie the game at 14-all by the close of the first period. In the run, Draven Houtman scored from the right baseline, Dinkel added two offensive rebound baskets, and K.C. Krien earned a steal-two.
Neither team scored in the first three minutes of the second quarter. The Buffs eventually added a left-corner jumper by Brenan Dixson (5' 11" sophomore) and an offensive rebound score by Marvin Sanchez (5' 9" sophomore) to earn a small advantage. Near the four-minute mark, Connor Keller scored on a runner in the lane for the Indians. RC responded with two more stick-back baskets (16-22). Jordan Raby added a basket to the SF side of the scoreboard after an assist by Tayton Weeter. The Indians went to the locker room trailing 18-27 after two late RC scores.
The third quarter was not one if the Indians' brighter moments. The Indians earned 6 points in the period while allowing 18. Brady Dinkel opened the quarter with a free-throw and a left-corner trey (22-27). St. Francis did not score again until late in the period when Draven Houtman nailed a shot from the baseline after an assist by K.C. Krien. The Indians trailed 24-45 after three quarters of action.
But the Indians were not going to quit. In a scrambling 4th quarter of action, the Indians added 16 points and only allowed 4 to nearly close the deficit. The Indians opened the period with a 9-point run getting scores from Jordan Raby (assists K.C. Krien and Tayton Weeter) and Weeter (trey, steal-two) to trim the deficit to 33-45. After back-to-back scores by the Buffs, the Indians earned a basket by Connor Keller (assist Weeter), an offensive rebound basket by Raby, and a trey by Weeter. The Indians trailed 40-49 with 2:05 remaining, but could not find a way to add any more to their total. St. Francis lost to Rawlins County in JV action, 40-49.
The early portion of the varsity contest was a struggle for the Indians. St. Francis seemed a bit sluggish early and had difficulty getting the ball to go into the basket. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes shot very well early in the contest earning an early lead. Braden Leitner (5' 6" junior) scored the first basket of the contest for the Buffs. Brock Waters soon answered on a cut through the lane after an assist by Tate Busse. Leitner's trey gave the Buffs an early 2-5 lead, but Busse's next assist found Jeremiah Neitzel in the post. After a post basket by Nick Withington (6' 1" senior) and a left-corner trey by Jorge Chacon (5' 9" sophomore) the margin grew to 4-10. After a Busse free-throw, the Buffs added two more quick scores; a shot by Withington and another trey by Chacon. With 3 minutes left in the first period, the Indians trailed by ten (5-15). Three successive baskets by the Indians soon trimmed the lead. Quinton Cravens scored on a Waters assist, Busse scored on a drive, and Waters added a stick-back basket (11-15). Another Chacon trey, his third of the period, made the score 11-18 after one period of play.
The Indians slowly chipped away at the deficit throughout the second period. RC answered an opening drive by Brock Waters with a lob to Wyatt Britt (6' 2" senior) moments later. Dalton Straub then scored from the post for the Indians, but another Britt basket nullified the gain. A drive by Tate Busse and an offensive rebound basket by Waters pulled St. Francis within three (19-22) at the 5:40 mark. After a RC free-throw, the Indians earned a basket by Waters (baseline drive) as well as two free-throws and a steal-two by Dalton Straub to take a 25-23 lead. At 3:10, Dylan Dulany (5' 5" senior) drained a left-corner trey returning the lead to the Buffs. It would be the last lead of the contest for the Buffs, as the Indians would outscore RC 12-2 in the final three minutes of the first half. The Indians offensive execution became very sharp and each of the final six baskets followed a nice assist by one of the Indians. In the run, the Indians received baskets by Straub (two), Brady Dinkel, Busse, and Taylor Rogers to lead 37-28 at halftime.
Withington opened the second half with a score for the Buffs. The Indians responded with another outburst, this one being a 14-2 run in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the half. The run resulted in an RC time-out at 5:40, but the Indians had already earned a 51-30 advantage. Jeremiah Neitzel started the run with a strong drive to the goal. Brock Waters added steal-twos (twice) and a trey, Neitzel an offensive rebound score, and Busse a trey. The run ended when Britt scored consecutive baskets for the Buffs. Then it was time for some of the other Indians to have a run. Tate Busse scored on consecutive drives and a right wing trey and Quinton Cravens added an stick-back score. The Indian lead stood at 60-34 with 2:10 left in the third period. Since the 5-minute mark of the second period, the Indians had outscored the Buffs 35-8. After an offensive rebound score by the Buffs, Waters added two more baskets; a deuce and a trey. St. Francis led 65-38 after three quarters.
With 7:15 left in the game, Brock Waters' left corner shot established a 30-point lead and set the running clock in motion. Taylor Rogers scored on a drive on the next possession. With St. Francis substitutes playing the remainder of the contest, the Indians held their lead. K.C. Krien scored a basket for the Indians in the late portion of the final period. The Indians did not commit a foul in the second half of the contest. St. Francis won the contest in impressive fashion, 72-42, after a sluggish start.
Rawlins County received balanced scoring from four players. The Buffs were led by Wyatt Britt with 12 points. Jorge Chacon and Nick Withington each added 10. Dylan Dulany scored 7. The Buffs made 1 of the 4 free-throws they attempted.
St. Francis was led in scoring by Brock Waters with 20 points. Tate Busse added 16, Brady Dinkel 11, Dalton Straub 8, Jeremiah Neitzel 6, Taylor Rogers 5, Quinton Cravens 4, and K.C. Krien 2. The Indians made 3 of 4 from the line.
The Indians will play Hoxie, at Hoxie, on February 3.
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