Leyton Boys Win Streak at 3

After opening with four straight losses, Leyton's Warrior boy's basketball team has won four of its last five contests under first year head coach Chris Morgan.

On January 7, the Warriors hosted the Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs and quickly pulled away in the first quarter, building a 21-to-4 lead. But Leyton then had a disastrous second quarter, scoring only four points and letting the visitors back in the game, going into the half up only by three, 26-to-23.

The Warriors stayed focused and led by 24 points by sophomore KJ Bush, Leyton was able to outscore Haxtun 29-to-27 in the second half to earn the 55-to-50 victory. Nine of Bush's 24 points came from beyond the three point line, and he grabbed 12 rebounds.

On Saturday, a struggling Hay Springs Hawks team traveled to Leyton looking to snap a five game losing skid and started fast, building up a 10-to-4 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter. After a timeout, Leyton finally started to put their passes together and started to score from the inside. The speedy Hawk's defense and three point shooting from Hay Springs junior Brodey Planansky built up a 21-to-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Leyton settled in and played much better defense in the second quarter, keeping pace with the Hawks and going into the half down by eight points, 34-to-26. But as the second half progressed, the Warrior's defense stiffened and Leyton's big men took over. 6' 3" junior Zack Henke put up 14 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and had four assists, feeding 6' 3" senior Drew Haley who had his best game of the season, pouring in 26 points to lead all scorers. Down by eight at the half, the Warriors took the victory by an eight point margin, 63-to-55.

Leyton head coach Chris Morgan said after the game, "With our leading scorer KJ Bush out with an ankle injury, I challenged the other starters to step up. After a lethargic first half as a team, Drew Haley came through with his best game of the season dominating in the post area for 26 points.

Combined with 14 points from our other big man Zac Henke, those two sparked a rally and we were finally able to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. It has taken a bit of time for Drew to adjust to his prosthetic leg, but he is finally getting in the groove and I look for him to make significant contributions for the rest of the season."

The victory improved Leyton's record to 4-and-5, while the Hawks losing streak moved to six putting them 2-and-6 on the season.