Cubs pull away from ’Streaks

NEODESHA — Humboldt High’s Cubs took head coach David Taylor’s comments to heart Friday.
“The first three minutes of the third quarter are always crucial,” Taylor said, especially in a tight game.
On Friday, the Cubs broke open a six-point halftime lead over host Neodesha early in the third period.
The 19-10 run put Humboldt on top 53-38 after three quarters. The Cubs closed with a 15-5 run to win 68-43.
The victory keeps Humboldt’s record spotless at 6-0.
One of the main catalysts for the Cubs was 6-6 senior forward Noah Thornbrugh, who poured in 31 points with 10 rebounds.
“Noah had a nice game offensively,” Taylor said.
Unlike Humboldt’s lopsided win against rival Yates Center three nights earlier, Taylor could tell early on the Cubs were missing a beat on both ends of the floor.
“I don’t think we were tired physically, but it seemed like we were tired mentally,” Taylor said. “But I’m really happy with how we played in the second half.”
Thornbrugh had plenty of help. Tanner McNutt scored 22 points and had four steals on defense. Hunter Murrow scored seven points and Nathan Whitcomb dished out eight assists.
“We did a good job defensively on the Baird kid, although we left the Johnson kid open too much,” Taylor said.
Justice Baird was limited to eight points for the Bluestreaks. Kyle Johnson drained four 3-pointers en route to a team-high 18 points for Neodesha.
“I was pretty hard on the guys tonight,” Taylor said. “We don’t want to lose focus. I talked to the kids about the opportunities that are in front of us. When we get out and move the ball on offense, we can be pretty tough to stop.”
Both teams struggled from the free throw line. Humboldt drained 11 of 23 charities; Neodesha 9 of 18.
Humboldt won the junior varsity contest 60-29 behind Kason Sidemens’ 15 points. The Cub C team also emerged victorious, 47-15. Corey Whitcomb scored 15 to lead Humboldt.
“It was a good night all around for us,” Taylor said.
Humboldt closes its pre-Christmas schedule on the road Tuesday at Marmaton Valley.
Humboldt (14-20-19-15—68)
Neodesha (14-14-10-5—43)
Humboldt (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Vanatta 0-0-3-0, McNutt 7/2-2-3-22, Murrow 2-3-1-7, Whitcomb 0-1-2-1, Crawford 2-1-5-5, Johnson 1-0-3-2, Thornbrugh 12/1-4-1-31. TOTALS: 24/3-11-18-68.
Neodesha (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Baird 2-4-4-8, Hannah 1-0-3-2, Garcia 2-0-3-4, C. Kitch 2-3-2-7, A. Kitch 2-0-2-4, Johnson 2/4-2-0-18. TOTALS: 11/4-9-17-43.