HUMBOLDT Cubs head coach David Taylor expressed his disappointment with his teams lack of focus during their Tuesday night matchup against Uniontown. Still, Humboldt powered its way to a 67-51 win, even though it wasnt pretty.
I thought they scrapped a hell of a lot better than we did, Taylor said. That is not how we do things here.
Both teams battled back and forth through the first quarter. Josh Hull opened the scoring for Humboldt with back-to-back baskets from the paint, but the Cubs failed to get in their offensive rhythm. Despite the early struggles, Conor Haviland beat the buzzer to give the Cubs a 16-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
We didnt have a rhythm, and did not reverse the ball and flatten the defense, Taylor said. We got out in transition, but we didnt really attack the basket. Our intensity and focus werent there, but they were doing what they wanted to do, and I thought they did a very nice job.
Uniontowns Ty Davidson eyed the Humboldt bench after his 3-pointer evened the score at 25-25 midway through the period. Taylor changed up the Cubs approach defensively, implementing a press to provide the needed spark.
Two buckets from Havilands, Humboldt had a 9-3 run with Drew Wilhite delivering a three-point play followed by a simple fastbreak score from Isiah Coronado. At the half, Humboldt led 34-38.
A flourishing offense comcombined with a stout defense helped propel Humboldt. The Cubs outscored Uniontown 17-11 in the third quarter, entering the fourth with a 51-39 lead.
We were getting some looks in transition, but our defense is what fuels our offense, Taylor said. I think our defense was better at the end of the second quarter and the start of the third. We always talk about how important the first three minutes of the third quarter are.
Haviland opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, and Humboldt continued to add to its lead with a 10-0 run. Haviland finished with a team-high 24 points as the Cubs cruised to a 67-51 victory.
Humboldt has two games remaining as host to the Annual Emprise Bank Basketball Tournament. The Cubs will face Crest on Thursday and Erie on Friday. Both of those games will begin around 8 p.m.
BOX SCORE
Humboldt (16-18-17-16 67) (pts): Orth 6, Wilhite 7, Coronado 10, Haviland 24, Meadows 5, Hull 15.
Uniontown (12-16-11-12 51) (pts): Drew Perry 10, Luke Perry 3, Harvey, 16, Goodridge 7, Holt 1, McClure 2, Miller 2, Schaaf 4, Sutterby 6.
