The West Holmes boys’ basketball team (4-15, 1-12) was having a rough season finding the winning column, but their hard work and determination has paid off recently with back-to-back victories.
Nate Fair put together one of his finest games of the season with a double-double to lead West Holmes in a 50-43 win over Cambridge (4-15) on Feb. 13.
The Knights had a 5-3 lead in the first, but the Bobcats were looking to tie up the game by with a drive to the hoop. Collier Cline was able to get on a loose ball and get possession back to the Knights. Manny Camacho then dished off to Fair who had a good look from three and hit nothing but net to go up 8-3. It was an 8-5 lead for the Knights at the end of the first.
Fair had a steal at the beginning of the second quarter to set the tone for the Knights. With a 10-6 lead, the strong defense continued for West Holmes, with Lynn Cline coming away with a steal. West Holmes had it working on both sides of the court in the quarter, and at the half it was a 21-12 lead.
The Knights were up 24-14 in the third quarter when Cline recorded his second steal of the night. Fat forward and it was a a 30-23 game when Sprang nailed a wide open three to get back to a 10 point lead for West Holmes. West Holmes had a 17-14 scoring advantage in the quarter, and after three they led 38-26.
In the fourth quarter, Sprang hit his second three to put West Holmes up 41-28 with 6:45 left. While the Bobcats made a push with a 17-12 quarter, the Knights were able to hold on for the seven point win.
West Holmes shot 40.9% and held Cambridge to 32.6% from the floor. The Bobcats did shoot well from three, however, going 9-for-25 compared to 3-for-14 for West Holmes. The Knights led 34-22 in boards and 5-4 in steals, but the Bobcats led 13-11 in assists.
Fair put up 15 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal to lead the charge for West Holmes. Collier Cline also scored 15 points, and added two assists, a rebound and a steal.
“Collier just finds ways to score, even when he isn't shooting particularly well,” said Coach Ben Belden. “Nate has been overpowering people around the basket a lot lately and is really playing well on the offensive boards to get himself more opportunities to score.”
Sprang hit double figures, as well, with 12 points. He also grabbed five defensive boards in the win. Lynn Cline had a solid all-around night going for five points, six boarfs, two assists and two steals. Camacho had three points, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists.
This was the second straight game both Cline and Sprang hit double digits in scoring, as they had 13 and 10 points respectively in a 46-40 conference win over Madison Comprehensive.
“Collier Cline and Sam Sprang are both good leaders for us in the victory in terms of how they led us on both ends of the floor,” Belden said about the Madison Comprehensive game. “We overcame a poor shooting night by playing some really good defense, getting some offensive rebounds, scoring on second-chance points, and getting to the free throw line.”
Coach Belden is happy with the way his team has played in recent days, especially after losing five of the last six games before it.
“The team has just played really hard and smart at the same time,” said Belden. “We have taken care of the ball and limited turnovers. In fact, we have been very good at creating extra possession by getting offensive rebounds.”
