Creek Valley Storms Over Leyton To Capture Subdistrict Crown

Creek Valley's Storm boys basketball team defeated the Leyton Warriors 53-21 Thursday night at the Cabela's Athletic Center at Sidney High School to take the Subdistrict D2-12 title. The Storm was scheduled to take on the Cody-Kilgore Cowboys on Tuesday at North Platte for the D2-6 district title, and this would be the Storm's first time in a District Finals contest since 2007.

Thursday's contest started with both teams playing tight defense, but the Creek Valley boys had very little luck on their side as their shots simply would not fall through the basket. The Storm's defense was very aggressive against Leyton, and the Warriors were unable to get any uncontested shots off, and were only able to score five points against Creek Valley's nine in the opening period. What really hurt the Warriors were seven turnovers in the first period alone, while Leyton sophomore Drew Haley had trouble handling the ball with two unforced turnovers in the period, and senior Jaydin Gartner scoring no points. Although they were only four points down after the end of the period, Leyton's chances against Creek Valley quickly diminished as the second quarter started and the Storm's shots started falling through the hoop.

The second quarter changed the contest from a tight game with with both offenses struggling to a one-sided rout as the Storm piled up 20 points in the period, scoring from the outside, inside, and on fast-break opportunities. Leyton could not get on track offensively, and their leading scorers were neutralized by Creek Valley's aggressive defense challenging every shot. Plagued by turnovers, the Warriors were unable to capitalize on any chance they were given, and the momentum of the game swung completely in the Storm's favor. By the end of the second period, Leyton had scored only one point off of a free throw, and headed into the intermission down 29-6.

"We played excellent defense in the first half, limiting them (Leyton) to only six points. Our ball movement was very good at getting us some high percentage shots", said Creek Valley head coach Roger Behrends.

The Storm's passing and ball movement was key in this game, as they seemed to be playing at a much quicker pace than the Warriors. Leyton simply could not keep up with Creek Valley's speedy passing and transitions, and the Storm absolutely controlled the paint throughout the contest.

The second half had a somewhat slower tempo, and Leyton was able to control the ball better and limit their turnovers, but the Warriors need a huge scoring outburst if they were to have any chance of stopping the Storm. Again, Creek Valley's pressure defense limited the Warriors scoring opportunities, and the Storm continued with their smooth and speedy passing and transitions, and by the end of the quarter had again outscored Leyton 10-7 to increase their lead to 39-13.

The fourth quarter played out in similar fashion, and by midway through the period both team had sat most of their starters and allowed the bench players to finish up the game. Again, Creek Valley outscored Leyton in the period, ending the game with a 53-21 final score. For Creek Valley, junior Garrett Sawyer led the scoring with 15 points coming off the bench, while senior Pierce Leef had 11 assists, six points, six rebounds, and four steals in the victory.

Leyton's season ended and it was the last time seniors Jaydin Gartner and Kort Dye would represent the Warriors on the hardwood. Dye scored four points, while Gartner had two points and eight rebounds in the loss. But Leyton's future looks solid, as they only lose two seniors to graduation, and next year's squad will return three starts in sophomore Drew Haley, freshman Zack Henke, and junior Josh Kruse. Haley led Leyton's offense with six points on the night, while Henke added five points in the loss.