Storm Basketball Stumbles Against Sutherland, Splits With Garden County

Both Creek Valley Storm Basketball teams have had difficulty putting up wins this season, and looked to change that narrative last Thursday when they hosted the Sutherland Sailors in Chappell. The Lady Sailors had only one win against a team with a winning record coming into the matchup, and the Lady Storm hoped to take advantage. But the Lady Sailors started fast and used their defense to limit the Lady Storm’s scoring opportunities, and Sutherland built a 26-to-8 lead at the half.

The Lady Storm could not beat the pressure of the Sutherland defense and and only managed five points in the second half as the Lady Sailors cruised to a 50-to-13 victory. Senior KK Fletcher led the offense with four points in the loss.

For the boy’s team, it looked like a great opportunity for a win as the Sailors came into the game with just two wins of their own, both against struggling teams in Brady and Kimball. But Sutherland senior Luke Martinez sparked the Sailors to quick start, and the Sutherland defense shut down the Storm in the second quarter, only allowing Creek Valley two points in the period to open a 33-to-15 lead at the half. Both defenses clamped down on the scoring in the second half, preventing Creek Valley from narrowing the deficit and the Sailors took the victory, 47-to-30. Martinez led all scorers in the game with 20 points, and also pulled down 14 rebounds for the Sailors. Senior Justin Ningen led the Storm with 12 points, while senior Oakley Hodges, who leads the Storm with 12 three-point shots on the year, went 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.

The Storm hosted the Garden County Eagles Friday night, and again the Lady Storm struggled for offense early as the Lady Eagles defense limited their chances and built an insurmountable 26-to-11 halftime lead. Garden County scored an additional 24 points in the second half to double up the Lady Storm by a final score of 50-to-25. The loss dropped Creek Valley’s season record to 1-and-12. However, the boy’s team was able to match up well against the Eagles, opening a 13-to-11 lead at the end of the first period and continued to play well going into the half up by five at 31-to-26. A strong third quarter gave Creek Valley a big enough lead to hold off a late fourth quarter rally and the Storm took the victory by a final score of 70-to-63. Sophomore Hunter Martinez led the Storm with 18 points and 25 rebounds for the double-double followed by senior Oakley Hodges with 17 points and 10 rebounds, also earning a double-double on the night. The Storm improved their record to 3-and 12 with the win, and are next scheduled travel to Potter-Dix to face the Coyotes on Thursday.