With junior Micah Lang back in the lineup, the Sabetha Bluejays brought the juice on Friday, Feb. 20, knocking off the Holton Wildcats 57-41 in front of a lively home crowd.

Senior Charlie Lukert got things rolling with a slick pass to junior Jack Frazee that set up a strong drive and finish. Moments later, Lang found a hustling Lukert in transition for another bucket, then showed his vision with a smart kick-out to senior Reid Mitchell, who was ready and waiting to bury a three.

Frazee made his presence felt on the glass, muscling in an offensive rebound and put-back, and later teamed up with Lang on a high-low look that resulted in an easy score. Just when Sabetha seemed ready to stretch the lead, Holton responded with grit, closing the quarter on a 6-0 run. The Bluejays still held an 11-10 edge heading into the second.

Holton carried that momentum into the second quarter, slowing Sabetha with a zone defense that made scoring tough. That’s when Lang reminded everyone why his return mattered. Over the final four minutes of the half, Lang took over, scoring 8 points in a variety of ways. He finished at the rim, knocked down a pair of free throws, pulled up from midrange, and capped it with a smooth floating runner that brought the crowd to life.

“I hated missing the Hiawatha game, and it was great to be back on the court with the guys,” Lang said.

Frazee closed the half by cashing in on a no-look dime from Lang and going two-for-two at the free-throw line, but Holton stayed hot late and carried a 28-25 lead into halftime.

As it has become a trend this season, Sabetha came out of the locker room sharper.

“After halftime, I felt like our energy and intensity picked up, and we were able to get better looks on offense,” Lang said.

The third quarter belonged to the Bluejays. Lang went to work inside with a strong baby hook, then punished the zone by kicking it out to Lukert, who drilled a three. Senior Cole Menold found his rhythm with a lightning-fast baseline drive and finish before knocking down a deep three of his own. Frazee and sophomore Kyson Wertenberger stayed calm at the line, combining to go five-for-six, and Wertenberger made Holton pay for sagging off him with a smooth triple.

On the defensive end, Sabetha turned up the pressure. Lukert forced a five-second violation, giving the Bluejays one last chance before the buzzer and Frazee delivered again, slipping through traffic for a Houdini-like offensive rebound and score to make it 47-36 heading into the fourth.

From there, it was lockdown mode. Sabetha held Holton to just 5 points in the final quarter, erasing any comeback hopes. Frazee finished through heavy contact, Wertenberger and Lang connected on a give-and-go that fooled the defense, and Wertenberger pushed the pace with a perfect pass to Mitchell for a transition bucket. He later added an up-and-under finish on the baseline, while Menold brought the house down with an unreal double-pump finish.

Sabetha improved to 13-8 on the season. Frazee led the way with 18 points, while Lang stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

“The Holton team we faced was very aggressive defensively,” said Head Coach Josh Wertenberger. “We grew stronger with the ball as the game went on, and our full-court pressure helped create transition opportunities and open up their zone.”

Next up, the Bluejays will host a Sub-State showdown as the No. 7 seed, welcoming rival and No. 10 seeded Nemaha Central Thunder at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26.

The lights will be on. The energy will be high. And the Bluejays will be ready.