In battle of undefeateds, Peet men sink winning shots

Holmes team suffers second setback from another key injury

In the battle of two undefeated Cedar Falls junior high men’s basketball teams, Peet walked away with the win 52-35 on Tuesday, Dec. 13, making Peet now 5-0 and Holmes 3-1. Peet now has five wins against New Hampton, Waterloo West, Waverly-Shell Rock, Kennedy Green and Holmes, and Holmes has three wins against Waverly-Shell Rock, Grundy Center and Kennedy Gold.

Holmes is facing some major inconveniences after starting power forward Tyler Loebel fractured a bone in his hand in the game against Waverly-Shell Rock.

Holmes coped with the loss of Loebel very well in the next two games by sweeping their next two opponents, Grundy Center and Kennedy Gold.

On rival night, Dec. 13, Peet and Holmes faced off for the first of two games. The second battle will be Tuesday, Jan. 24

Holmes started with the lead and minimum lead changes, as Ben Sernett and Bryce Albaugh led scorers.

Late in the second quarter, Albaugh went up for a block on Peet’s Cael Loecher and came down for a breathtaking blow, a full 45 degree bend on Albaugh’s ankle as it went into the crease of where the floor and the brick wall meets.

Man against floor. Who wins?

As Albaugh lay on the floor pounding, coaches and medical staff rushed over to the injured player. Later he learned his ankle was fractured.

After Albaugh was escorted to the bench, sixth man Jack Moody entered the game.

Peet had an outstanding game. Though it seemed that they struggled in the first half, they muscled through and took the lead right before half. After claiming the lead late in second quarter, Peet held it and ended the match 35-52.

For Holmes, the team has had two fractured starts that have put an impact on early leads.

Fellow freshman Center Michael White says “Obviously it really sucks but I mean that’s the game of basketball but now some other people are going to really have to step up.”

Freshman starting SG Ben Sernett says “It’s definitely a setback, but that’s what happens in sports. Some guy are going to have to step up and play different positions. When Bryce and Tyler come back, they will be ready to perform on the court.”

“It’s going to really affect the way our next few games will go. They were both on the starting line up, and it really put a dent in our first five. Other players will have to step up if we want to be successful in the coming weeks,” freshman power forward Gilmore Taiber said.

Taiber has stepped up in the last three games for Loebel, impacting the team in a positive fashion. With six points, five assists and four rebounds, he’s distributed the ball and showed his capabilities.

Taiber also said, “We’re going to have struggles, but we need to know who’s going to step up and take that spot, and who’s going to be a positive impact/leader on the team.”

Freshman center Michael White said, “Obviously, it really sucks, but I mean that’s the game of basketball, but now some other people are going to really have to step up.”

Sernett said, “It’s definitely a setback, but that’s what happens in sports. Some guys are going to have to step up and play different positions. When Bryce and Tyler come back, they will be ready to perform on the court.”