The Van Buren County Warriors boys basketball team overcame a slow start to defeat Highland 76-69 on Friday night, February 6th, in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout, a matchup between the seven seeds from the North and South divisions.
The Warriors improved to 6-15 on the season, while Highland fell to 3-17.
Game Recap
Van Buren County struggled offensively early, not making a field goal until 5:28 remained in the first quarter when they took a 3-2 lead. The Warriors didn’t score again until 2:02 was left in the opening period, and Highland capitalized to take a 15-8 lead after one quarter.
Highland extended their advantage to 22-13 with 4:35 remaining in the second quarter, but Van Buren County responded with a 13-2 run to tie the game at 22-22 with 1:47 left in the half. The Warriors took a 26-24 lead into halftime.
Van Buren County dominated the third quarter, outscoring Highland 24-14 to build a commanding 50-38 advantage heading into the final period.
The Warriors maintained control in the fourth quarter, leading 69-52 with 3:10 remaining. Highland mounted a late rally, cutting the deficit to 71-64 with 1:01 left on the clock as the Huskies got in the bonus early in the quarter. Van Buren County scored 26 points in the fourth quarter while Highland had 31, but the Warriors had built enough cushion and were able to hang on for the 76-69 victory.
Individual Performances
Will Cocherell led Van Buren County with 26 points, including 14 in the first half, along with four rebounds and three assists on 12-of-21 shooting from the field. Kinnick Millard added 17 points, all in the second half, and grabbed 10 rebounds while shooting 6-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. Jace Duncan contributed 15 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and six steals, and Cree Kite recorded 4 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, and one block. Landry Loeffler posted four points, two rebounds, two assists, and one block.
Off the bench, Lincoln Bainbridge had four points, four rebounds, and three steals. Brandon Taylor chipped in four points, three rebounds, and three assists. Kayden Simmons added two points, three rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Jake Reid also saw action for the Warriors.
Highland was led by Bryce Hazelett with 22 points.
Team Statistics
Van Buren County shot 30-73 from the field (41.1%), 5-23 from three-point range (21.7%), and 11-19 from the free-throw line (57.9%). The Warriors grabbed 42 rebounds, dished out 18 assists, recorded 15 steals, had two blocks, committed 23 fouls, and turned the ball over 19 times.
Highland shot 23-48 from the field (47.9%), 7-17 from three-point range (41.2%), and 16-21 from the free-throw line (76.2%). The Huskies pulled down 24 rebounds, had 16 assists, recorded 11 steals, had 1 block, committed 15 fouls, and turned the ball over 22 times.
Looking Ahead
Van Buren County will be back in action on Monday, February 9th, in a recently scheduled game against the Twin Cedars Sabers. Twin Cedars needed an opponent, and Van Buren County opted to fill in for them. The Warriors received state approval to play a 22nd game on their schedule.
Photography courtesy of Jaime Moquin.
