Tough Bobcats squad hands Leyton second loss of season

There were several moments on Saturday when Leyton threatened to snatch fortune away from the Bobcats. That the Warriors ended up on the losing end of a lopsided 58-39 score was difficult to explain, except with the broadest strokes.

“They outplayed us—both ends,” said Dylan Brenner.

Until midway through the third quarter, however, the game appeared every bit the pitched donnybrook expected by all in the packed Dalton stands. Although Hemingford jumped on top 7-0 after the tip, Leyton stormed right back into the fray.

Brennen Cruise muscled his way into the paint and converted a feed from Cody McKay to open the Warriors’ account. McKay followed up with a leaner from the wing. Moments later Cruise tacked on a free throw. Suddenly it was a 7-5 battle.

Throughout the remainder of the first period, the two sides jabbed. The Bobcats’ Blake Hansen hit two from the line to restore a 4 point cushion for the visitors. With seconds remaining, however, Brenner issued a high arching jumper from the wing to rein things back to 14-12.

The first turning point came just before the buzzer ending the first quarter. After a scramble in the corner, Hemingford’s dangerous Matthew Wood sank a three and added a bonus after being fouled in the act. The instant 4-point swing gave the Bobcats a 18-12 gap after one.

“We couldn’t get stops,” Cruise observed. “And we couldn’t get shots to fall.”

Indeed, Leyton suffered through some uncharacteristic cold spells during the night. Meanwhile six Bobcats put points on the board and Wood, who made eight trips to the line, converted 11 charity shots in a row on his way to a 25 point game.

Yet once again the Warriors charged forward. Cruise put together a personal 5-0 run to open the second quarter, on a three from the right wing and a drive into the lane, taking a feed from Jared Westman to make it a tight 18-17 contest.

When Hemingford stretched the gap to 24-17, the Warriors countered. Brenner made an A.W. Frerichs steal pay off with a driving layup. Cruise then battered his way into the circle, harried for a moment by a red jersey.

But the wily veteran came to a 60-to-0 stop and pump faked, causing his defender to careened face first to the hardwood. He then drained the now open jump shot.

“He was overplaying me, so I knew I could get him,” Cruise said.

The clever shot tightened the score to 24-21. But the final turning point came moments later. Sent to the line twice in the waning moments of the half, Hemingford’s Wood hit four consecutive free throws.

This second 4 point swing sent the teams into the locker room with the visitors on top 28-21. Leyton managed only 7 points in the third quarter, all by Brenner. The Bobcats pulled away from then on.

Heading into the break on a down note, the 5-2 Warriors understood the purpose implied by this outcome. Their goal as a team is to return to state. The loss left a stark reminder of what they must do to get there.

“We gotta beat the good teams,” Cruise said.

Cruise leads assault on Banner County

The Warriors were tentative at the start of Friday night’s contest. They misfired on three attempts inside the paint, squandering clear opportunities. But that nervous edge lasted just a couple of minutes, or until Brennen Cruise decided to put an end to the stalemate.

Leyton’s 70-30 squelching of visiting Banner County was orchestrated by the versatile senior, who led all scorers with 23—almost half of those coming in a rousing first quarter performance.

Cruise broke the nil-all draw backing in one on one against the Wildcats’ Brenton Soule before hitting a short turn around jumper. He then found space on the right wing for two more points, followed by treys—one from about eight o’clock high on the clock face, the other from three.

“I finally found my shot—it only took four games,” Cruise said, preferring to credit others for his offensive spurt. “My teammates got me some good looks.”

He accounted for 10 of the Warriors’ first 12 points. The other two came from A.W. Frerichs, who took quick and decisive advantage of a lane Banner County’s defense left that led from the wing to the paint.

“It was like a highway,” Frerichs said.

So after almost two minutes of silence, Leyton emerged from a three minute spree up 12-4. But the outburst was not over.

Cody McKay, who ended up with 14 points on the evening, slipped into free space under the glass. Seth Schuessler set him up with a clever bounce pass and McKay converted an easy lay in.

“It was wide open,” McKay reported. “It was there all night.”

Dylan Brenner followed up by peeling away from his mark at the top of the arc and sinking a three. Cruise took a feed from Brenner for a driving layup. A steal by Frerichs led to another Cruise score, this time from three point range.

David Blanke on a put back and McKay—again hitting from just under the rim—capped a 17-0 run that upped the ante to 26-4.

“We wanted to get out fast,” Cruise explained. “We were clicking.”

Meanwhile Banner County floundered, limited to just 9 points before the break. The unpredictable Wildcats brought athleticism and a potential to put points on the board into the game. But the Warriors managed to silence dangerous outside shooter Mike McKown, holding him to just one three on the night, and fend off Tyson Dahlgrin until the second half.

By then the home side held a comfortable advantage.

“On defense we just hustled,” Frerichs pointed out. “That got our transition game going.”

Before the half ended, Frerichs scored on a neat give and go, teaming with Cruise, and showed some hang time in the key after a pump fake. Cruise kept pace, scoring on a coast to coast break and picking Ben Hostetler’s pocket for another easy steal and layup.

In all, ten Warriors ended up in the scoring column. The game ended under a running clock.

Boys Basketball

Hemingford 58

Leyton 39

Leyton 70

Banner Co. 30