It was a good run, but the Springfield Longhorns unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Saturday. They opened the new year with a less-than-successful 48-37 loss to Cheyenne Wells. While losing is never fun, Springfield can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 152nd, while Cheyenne Wells is ranked 49th).
When it comes to explaining why Springfield lost, one person who can't be blamed is Colby Batterton. Despite the final result, he scored 22 points along with three steals. Batterton scored a full 59.5% of Springfield's points, the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Cooper Stolebarger, who scored four points along with six rebounds.
Springfield struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Cheyenne Wells racked up 12 assists.
Cheyenne Wells found their leader in underclassman Corey Hill, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 18 rebounds. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Hill has scored at least 25% of Cheyenne Wells' points. Carson Noe was another key contributor, scoring six points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Springfield's loss dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Cheyenne Wells, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 5-2.
Springfield will play host again and welcome McClave, where tip off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. That game will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Tuff Kelley and Batterton. As for Cheyenne Wells, they will head out on the road to face off against Stratton at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
