The regular season is winding down for Bluejay basketball, with just a few contests remaining, and the Sabetha boys traveled to Holton on Friday, Feb. 17, to take on the Wildcats. The Jays easily won in their first meeting against Holton, but teams are peaking as the end draws near. This would be a road game challenge for Sabetha. The score was knotted at 13 at the end of the first, but a big third quarter helped Sabetha build a lead, which helped to lead them to the victory by a score of 54-42.

“This was another good game for us,” said Head Coach Scott Burger. “We held them to 42 points, which is good against number two team in the league.”

Seniors Davis Rokey and Matthew Garber each had 4 points in the opening frame, Rokey with a pair of lay-ins and Garber a perfect  four of four from the free throw line. Junior Marcus Bauman swished a triple and junior Christian McAfee added a bucket. The score was tied at 13 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bluejays outscored the Wildcats in the second quarter, 16-11, to help give them a skinny advantage at the break. Garber poured in 8 points for his team in the period, and senior Nohl Niehues pounded the middle and chipped in 4 points on a pair of buckets. Bauman and McAfee added a double each and the Jays took a 29-24 lead at halftime.

Sabetha’s defense came out with a mean streak to start the second half and held the Wildcats to just 4 points on a pair of goals in the third quarter. Garber delivered a pair of daggers from behind the arc and added 8 points to his personal tally in the period. McAfee and Rokey added 2 points apiece and the Bluejays extend their lead to 41-28 headed into the final quarter.

“We struggled on the defensive boards as Holton out-rebounded us,” Coach Burger said.

The Wildcats went into urgency mode in the fourth quarter to limit the Jays access to the paint while controlling the boards to nearly eliminated second chance opportunities. Garber had two buckets and a pair of free throws, McAfee had 4 points, and Rokey added 2 points down the stretch. Although Holton outscored their guests in the final period, the damage was done in the second and third quarters, and the Bluejays would take the win, 54-42.

“Our bench provided a much needed spark as we struggled with foul trouble,” Coach Burger said. “We shot the ball well, 37 percent from the three-point range and 58 percent from two-point range. We did outscore them on the free throw line 13 to six.”

Garber finished the night with 26 points, Rokey and McAfee each had 8, and Bauman had 5 points.

The Bluejay boys are on their way to a Big Seven League title, improving to 13-0 in the league with the win over Holton and 19-0 overall, with one game left in the regular season when they hosted the Hiawatha Red Hawks on Tuesday, Feb. 21. These results were not available at The Herald’s press time.