March 28, 2024

Mustangs get back on track with convincing victory

COLFAX — Either Colfax-Mingo or Prairie City-Monroe was going to end a two-game losing streak Tuesday.

The Mustangs began the new season with a win over South Hamilton but dropped two in a row after that.

The Tigerhawks were 0-2 on the year and came into the game on a 26-game losing skid dating back to February 2013.

In a series that has been dominated by PCM over the past several years, the Mustangs took control of the Tigerhawks with a big second quarter and then scored the first 16 points of the third to win going away, 76-35.

Junior Logan Gilman led a trio of Mustangs in double-figures with 18 and PCM was able to break open a game that was close after one quarter with a 17-7 advantage in the second and then outscored the Tigerhawks 24-6 in the third.

The 35-point continuous clock was triggered early in the fourth as the Mustangs also got 12 points from Luke Pendroy, 11 from Trey Lindsay and nine apiece from Ricky Reeve and Tyler Townsend. Gilman also had seven rebounds, while Pendroy pulled down six.

“It was a snowball effect. Once it got started, it went pretty quick,” PCM coach Fred Lorensen said. “We hadn’t been playing very well lately so we needed this one.”

For Colfax-Mingo, coach John Borts felt good about being down only five after the first quarter, but thought his team failed to play to its potential against a Mustang squad that has had the Tigerhawks’ number over the past five-plus years.

“I didn’t feel like we were very sharp on either end of the floor,” Borts said. “We’ve got a lot of mistakes to correct, some decision making things and things that happen on the move that we have to be better prepared for.”

The Mustangs used a 12-0 run that started at the end of the first and continued into the second to grab a decisive advantage. A 16-0 run to begin the third put an end to any hope Colfax-Mingo had of a possible rally.

PCM got out in transition in the second and third quarters and set up easy buckets with precision passing off the fastbreak and through its offensive sets.

“We had some really good passes,” Lorensen said. “We had passes in transition and just out of our offense, too, so it was a well played game on our part.

Jacob Lietz scored six of his team-high eight points in the third for the Tigerhawks (0-3, 0-3). Colfax-Mingo’s struggles offensively continued though as the team made just 10 shots from the floor and 10-of-18 from the line.

“There were times where we did have opportunities, but we didn’t convert and that’s been the story in the first three games now,” Borts said. “Our shooting percentages are not what they need to be to be successful. But tonight we let it impact other parts of the game, too.”

Gilman’s bucket inside the lane a few minutes into the fourth quarter made it 59-24 and his 3-pointer followed four straight free throws from Pendroy. The reserves took over shortly after that as PCM improved to 2-2 on the season and 2-1 in Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference play.

“We needed to play well, but the tough thing now is to keep it going,” Lorensen said. “We have a tough one Friday night with CMB and hopefully we can play like we did (Tuesday).”

Borts wants a better effort from his squad. He also thinks maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and figure out what needs to be done to end the 27-game losing streak.

“We didn’t play as well as we are capable of in any area, quite honestly,” Borts said. I think the kids are noticeably frustrated about it. Everyone has to look at themselves in the mirror, including the coaches, and say what part of this do I own and what do I need to do to make it better.”

PCM’s HOIAC game with CMB tips off around 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Tigerhawks travel to Roland-Story on Friday.

PCM 12-15-24-23—76
Colfax-Mingo 7-7-6-15—35
PCM (FG-3pt-FT-F-TP) — Dredge 1-0-0-0-2, Greiner 2-0-0-4-4, Reeve 4-1-0-1-9, Rexroat 0-0-1-0-1, Townsend 4-0-1-0-9, Brown 2-1-0-0-5, Gilman 8-1-1-2-18, Pendroy 4-0-4-1-12, Bruxvoort 1-0-0-0-2, Foster 1-1-0-0-3, DeReus 0-0-0-3-0. Totals 31-5-8-14-76.
Colfax-Mingo (FG-3pt-FT-F-TP) — Myers 2-1-0-2-5, Summy 0-0-2-0-2, Lietz 3-0-2-5-8, Buehrer 0-0-2-0-2, Borts 1-1-0-1-3, Simpson 0-0-1-1-1, Lourens 0-0-2-3-2, Nichols 2-0-0-3-4, Michael Deal 2-0-1-0-5. Totals 10-2-10-15-35.