The South Spencer boys basketball team didn’t exactly experience the holly, jolly time they were hoping for in their first game after Christmas.
Why? They lost their only game of the season. And Boonville was the one who played Scrooge.
Despite a spirited comeback attempt, the Class 2A, No. 3 ranked Rebels dropped a hard fought 72-70 double overtime decision to the Pioneers in the opening round of the PSC Holiday Classic last Thursday morning in Lincoln City.
“We showed a lot of heart. We just didn’t make the smartest decisions at times in key spots,” explained the Rebel boss, Matt Britton. “It was just a tough loss.”
What made the game tougher on South Spencer was the fact that they had to play most of the contest without the service of veteran Nathan Hurt, who suffered an foot/ankle injury just a few minutes into the game.
In Hurt’s absence, South Spencer relied on several players to share the load on the offensive end and they responded.“The kids did a good job with the balance with different guys stepping up and making plays,” said Britton. “We executed some things offensively. We were able to get some guys open for big shots and they were able to knock them down.”
“Boonville is a good team. They’ve got a lot of good players. They’re athletic and have a lot of kids who can score,” said Britton. “We knew it was going to be a hard game coming in. A play or two here or there was the difference.”
The difference in the final score actually came with less than second left in the contest.
“Absolutely, a game like this can help us,” concluded Britton. “Win or lose, when you play good competition it’s going to make you a better team.”
Story by Brian Bohne
Photos by Sierra Bruggeman
