HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Cubs picked up their first win for newcomer Coach Kason Siemens after outlasting the West Elk Patriots 66-44.
Although ending the contest with a double-digit margin of victory, West Elk did not go quietly in the opening round of Tuesday’s Emprise Bank Basketball Tournament.
“It feels like we got a monkey off our back,” Coach Siemens said. “It’s good to get a win tonight in front of our home crowd.”
The Cubs stepped on the gas from the jump, going on a 8-2 run off a bucket by junior forward Thatcher Mueller and 3-pointers by senior guard Hayden Kelley and junior guard Luke Coronado. Kelley was one of four players to reach double digits with a team-leading 20 points, followed by Coronado with 15.
“We came out with intensity. We had a rough couple of games before,” Kelley said. “We had a good day of practice Monday. We were hungry and wanting to get our first win.”
The Patriots made it a one-score ballgame in the fourth quarter only to have Kelley catch fire with a trio of buckets, and a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Connor Newman, who had 14 points.
Sophomore guard Colton Hanson iced the game with 4 points the hard way after drawing a foul while sinking a 3-pointer.
“It was confidence. If you shoot the ball with “It was confidence,” Siemens said. “Late in the game, Colton told me during a timeout to let him have the ball. We drew something up for him and he made it and got fouled. That’s the confidence I want in my guys.”
With the win, the Cubs improved to 1-2. They face Crest Thursday for the second round of the round-robin tournament. With two more games slated for this week, and three next week, Siemens said he looks forward to seeing his team continue making day-to-day improvement.
“We’re going to see what these guys are made of,” Siemens said. “We’re going to see how tough we are. With these tournaments, it’s not always the better team who wins. It’s the team who can be tough and mentally strong enough to play three games in five days.”
