The Springlake-Earth Wolverines’ varsity basketball team throttled the Groom Tigers on Tuesday, 71-43, to claim the Class 1A Region I Area Championship at Vega High School.
With the win, the Wolverines improve to 16-3 overall on the season.
A steal by junior, Kaden Longoria, led to a three from junior, Evan DeLeon, from the right elbow to open the scoring in the first quarter for the Wolverines. DeLeon followed it up with a layup, driving to the basket off of the screen from junior forward, Keshan Holmes, drawing an andone foul on Tyler Boyd. He converted the free throw to make the score, 6-0, with 7:13 remaining in the opening quarter.
The offensive barrage continued for the Wolverines, as Holmes drained a three from the top of the key, making the score, 9-0, and Castillo followed it up with a three from the right elbow to make it a, 12-0, scoring run for SpringlakeEarth, as Groom took a time out with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter.
Out of the break, junior, Trace Goodman, picked up a steal and scored on a fast-break lay-up, pushing the lead to, 14-0. With 3:58 remaining in the quarter, Gunner Lamb was fouled on an attempt by Castillo, earning a trip to the line. He split the free-throw attempts, getting the Tigers on the board to make the score, 14-1.
Stephen Kuehler took a charge on Castillo, but the Wolverines answered, as DeLeon drove to the basket and was fouled on an attempt by Boyd; he sank both free throws to extend their lead to, 16-1. Lamb scored the Tigers first field goal, on a three from the right elbow, before the Tigers took a time out to talk things over.
Out of the break, Stephen Kuehler knocked down a freethrow line jumper to trim the lead to, 16-6, and Damon Kuehler followed it up with a three from the left elbow to cut the lead to singledigits, 16-9, with just under two minutes to play in the quarter. Holmes scored on a put-back off of a miss by DeLeon, but Damon Kuehler responded with a secondchance lay-up to make the score, 18-11.
With time winding down in the quarter, DeLeon dropped in a layup off of an assist from Timothy Tanaro, but in the closing seconds, Stephen Kuehler drove the right baseline for a floater to close out the quarter, making the score, 20-13, heading into quarter number two.
DeLeon opened the second quarter with a drive to the basket for a lay-up, but Lamb answere with a three from the left elbow and followed it up with a jumper from the right elbow, slicing the lead to, 22-18. Castillo drove the lane for a lay-up, as Groom took a time out to talk things over with 4:12 to play in the half.
With 3:19 remaining in the half, Damon Kuehler took a charge on DeLeon and the Tigers capitalized as Lamb scored on a tip in to make the score, 24-20. DeLeon answered with a three from the left elbow and followed it up with a three from the right elbow off of the assist from Alex Alvarez, pushing their lead back out to, 30-20.
With under two minutes to play in the second quarter, Lamb dropped in a lay-up off of the assist from Damon Kuehler, but Castillo scored a put-back off of his own miss and in the closing seconds, DeLeon picked up as steal and was fouled on the fastbreak attempt and sank both free throws to make it a 12-point game, 34-22, heading into the locker room at halftime.
Holmes opened the second half with a shortjumper from the right elbow and Castillo followed it up with a jumper from the left wing, off of the assist fromAlvarez, making the score, 38-22, with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter. Lamb went coast-to-coast for a lay-up, but on the other end, DeLeon was fouled on an attempt by Boyd. He knocked down both free throws to extend their lead to, 40-24.
With 4:03 left to play in the third, Damon Kuehler hit Lamb for a layup, but Tanaro responded on the other side with a reverse lay-up off of the assist from junior, Trace Goodman, making the score, 42-26. Tanaro followed it up with a quick lay-up off of an inbound play and DeLeon drove to the basket on their next possession, dishing a behind the back pass to Holmes for a lay-up, pushing the lead to, 46-26.
With 2:40 remaining in the third quarter, DeLeon drove to the basket with a spin move and knocked down a fade-away jumper from the left elbow, off of the assist from Tanaro to make the score, 48-26, as Groom took a time out with 2:39 remaining.
Out of the break, Castillo knocked down a three from the right elbow off of the assist from DeLeon and Holmes followed it up with back-to-back buckets off of assists from Castillo to extend their lead to, 55-26. With under one minute to play in the quarter, Tanis Terbush was fouled on an attempt by Tanaro; he split the free throws making the score, 55-27.
In the closing seconds of the quarter, Castillo dropped in a floater on the left baseline, off of the assist from DeLeon, stretching their lead to, 57-27, as the third quarter came to a close.
Holmes picked up a steal and scored a put-back off of a miss by DeLeon, but Stephen Kuehler answered with a lay-up on the right side for Groom to make the score, 59-29. Goodman dropped in a layup off of an assist from Holmes, but the Tigers answered with four consecutive buckets by Boyd, Lamb and Stephen Kuehler to cut the lead to, 61-37, as the Tigers took a time out with 5:10 remaining in the contest.
Out of the break, Castillo knocked down a jumper in the lane off of the assist from DeLeon, but Lamb answered with a threee from the right elbow, making the score, 63-40. Holmes dropped in a lay-up off of an assist from Goodman, but on the other end, Terbush was fouled on an attempt by Castillo. He split the free throws to make the score, 65-41.
Goodman knocked down a jumper from the left elbow and Holmes followed it up with a layup, off of the inbound pass from DeLeon under the basket to make the score, 69-41. With time winding down, JJ Jaramillo knocked down a jumper from the left elbow, off of the assist from junior, Josh Samaron, to push their lead out to 30 points. Groom would score a bucket before time expired, as the Wolverines went on to take down Groom in the Area round of the Basketball Play-offs, 71-43.
“We started off with some good shots from Evan and we were hot early. We were playing good defense and crashing the boards, but I think we got a little lax on the rebounds late in the first half,” Head Coach CJ Castillo said. “But, after we made the halftime adjustments and got the guys we needed in there, we started crashing boards and the game started turning for us. When you do the little things right good things happen.”
DeLeon led the team in scoring with 24 points, and he was joined in double-figures scoring by Holmes, who tallied 19 points and Castillo, who finished with 16 points. Goodman netted six points, while Tanaro contributed four points and Jaramillo finished with two points in the contest.
The Wolveriens took on #4 Texline at Canyon Randall High School on Friday in the 1A Regional Quarterfinal round of the Basketball Play-offs. Results were not available at press time.