The long and winding road continues to beckon the Bluejays as the boys continued their road campaign after the Burlington Tournament, and traveled to Silver Lake on Friday, Jan. 27, to take on the Eagles. The Jays set the tone and the tempo from the onset with hot shooting hands and staunch defense to pull away from the Eagles and take the win, 71-53.

“We really got off to a hot start,” said Head Coach Scott Burger. “Our players came out with a lot of intensity.”

Sabetha’s defense squelched Silver Lake in the first quarter, holding them to just 2 points. With the perimeter open, the Bluejays took full advantage and dropped four triples on their hosts in the first eight minutes. Junior Marcus Bauman had a pair of treys and a bucket for 8 points to lead his team in scoring, and fellow junior Christian McAfee had 7 points on three field goals and a free throw. Seniors Davis Rokey and Preston Michael each had a three-ball in the opening period, and Sabetha led, 23-2.

The Bluejays continued their siege in the second quarter, putting up 20 points to the Eagle’s 14, and extend their lead at the intermission. Rokey erupted with a flurry of 12 points in the second quarter to ink 15 points by halftime. Sabetha led 43-16 at the break, with six different players contributing points.

Senior Matthew Garber garnered a lot of attention to start the game, which kept him quiet in the points department through the first two periods. But the Eagles turned their sights on Rokey, and Garber found himself less fettered in the front court to lead his team in scoring in the third quarter with 8 points. Silver Lake outscored their guests 21-19 in the third period, but the Jays maintained a healthy lead and were out front 62-37 at the end of the frame.

The Eagles outscored the Bluejays in the final period 16-9, but it was too little too late and Sabetha took the win, 71-53

“It was one of our better nights for sharing the ball as we had 27 assists for the game,” Coach Burger said. “It was also good, because everybody on our bench got considerable playing time.”

Rokey finished with 22 points, McAfee had 15 points paired with nine boards, and Garber led the team in assists with seven and had 8 points on the night. Sabetha improves to 13-0 as they jump back into Big Seven competition.

“We are excited about the second round of the Big Seven League, and our goal is to get better every day,” Coach Burger said.

Sabetha traveled to Riverside Tuesday, Jan. 31, meeting the Cyclones before playing at home against the Royal Valley Panthers on Friday, Feb. 3. These results were not available by The Herald’s press time.