HUMBOLDT — By any estimation, Humboldt High’s Cubs have already had a wildly successful season.
The Cubs have lost only twice all season, and are gunning for a top seed in the upcoming Class 3A substate basketball playoffs.
But head coach David Taylor noted that amid all the success, there was something lacking.
“Early in the season, we had talked to the guys about playing up to the standard, measuring themselves against the standard,” Taylor said. “I was draining their ‘fun bucket’ in the process.”
Now, with Humboldt’s offense and defense humming along at high gear, the Cubs seem to have replenished that fun bucket just in time.
The latest iteration, Friday’s 67-47 dismantling of Caney Valley, came in Humboldt’s first home game since before the Christmas break.
Colden Cook and Sam Hull led the way. Each had double-doubles on the night. Cook poured in 23 points with 12 rebounds. Hull was just behind with 19 points and 11 boards as Humboldt raced to a 21-10 lead after one quarter.
“It was a good ball game,” Taylor said. “I was really pleased with how we played. We had a couple of lulls when he had opportunities to extend our game, but defensively we did a very good job.”
The key was slowing down Caney Valley sharpshooter Colt Hightower. Hightower wound up with 15, but the Cubs allowed no other Caney Valley players in double figures.
Humboldt maintained its lead, 32-20 at the break and 51-38 by the end of the third quarter. Hull’s eight fourth-quarter points and some stingy defense ensured there would be no Bullpup comeback.
“We had a size advantage, again,” Taylor said. “And we got a lot of buckets in transition, again. They guys have been playing very unselfishly. Colden and Sam have done a nice job of getting the ball to each other. Asher (Hart) came up with a couple of big plays to shut down their offense.”
Hart added 10 points and Blake Ellis nine points and four assists. As a team, Humboldt had 21 assists and 10 turnovers.
“Blake had a nice game on the offensive end, and you can always count on him for his defense. Asher had another strong game at both ends of the floor. Mason (Sterling) came in and played some pretty good defense, and Avery Works played some quality minutes for us. They did what we needed to do. Any time you have a 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio, it’s a good sign.”
Just as importantly, Taylor’s players are having fun on the court.
“I’m seeing a lot of high-fives, and you can tell the guys are excited for their teammates when they do something good. It’s been enjoyable watching them play.”
FG/3pt FT F TP
