March 18, 2024

Slow start plagues C-M boys in loss to North Mahaska

COLFAX — Colfax-Mingo boys basketball coach Nick Noring was unsure why his Tigerhawk squad lacked the energy it takes to win in the South Iowa Cedar League on Tuesday night.

The Tigerhawks did not practice over the weekend and had Monday night off, too, because weather closed the school during the day.

Still, Colfax-Mingo was a step slow during the early stages of its SICL game with North Mahaska, and the Tigerhawks played from behind the rest of the night in a 52-49 loss.

“It’s a head scratcher. I expect them to be ready to play, but we just weren’t,” Noring said. “Mentally, we get ourselves in positions where we can’t counter. Physically, we don’t absorb the contact and finish inside.”

For the second straight game, a Tigerhawk squad that features no seniors were playing against a team which had multiple senior starters.

While Noring understands that, and feels like his Tigerhawk squad will be even better next season, the first-year coach wants them to feel like they can be good this season.

“Of course we can be great next year. But we need to still be thinking about this year,” Noring said. “Are we ready to break through the wall or are we just content at where we are at? We had a chance tonight against a .500 team, and we came out a step slow. I am not sure why.”

The game was tied at 10-all after one quarter. North Mahaska (7-6 overall, 6-5 in the SICL) went in front by nine in the second quarter following a pair of triples by Jac Munson and another bucket from Brandt Fleener inside.

The Tigerhawks got within three at halftime after juniors Alex Lewis and Jonathan Jacobs each buried a trey in the closing seconds.

Jacobs had one of his best games of the season, finishing with 12 points and six assists.

“He was phenomenal tonight,” Noring said of Jacobs. “He delivered for us, and that’s why I started him in the second half. Hopefully others start to feed off his energy.”

The Tigerhawks remained within reach in the third quarter even though the Warhawks pushed their lead to six points.

Junior Jarod Nichols scored inside the lane and hit two free throws and then junior Reegan Van Dyke tied the game with a hoop that he was fouled on.

The Warhawks though used a 7-0 run to grab the momentum. Nichols scored on a putback, but the Tigerhawks (6-6, 6-5) still trailed by five after three quarters.

Nichols collected his sixth straight double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds in the loss. Van Dyke added eight points and 11 rebounds.

North Mahaska, which has now won three in a row, scored the first two buckets of the fourth quarter to push its lead to nine points. A 7-0 got C-M back into the game, but North Mahaska answered every Tigerhawk punch with a punch of its own. Colfax-Mingo never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

“We need to figure out how to compete for four quarters,” Noring said.

Munson led North Mahaska with 18 points, while Milan DeJong added 10 points, Cole Rozendaal scored nine and Fleener put in eight points.

North Mahaska 10-17-12-13 — 52

Colfax-Mingo 10-14-10-15 — 49

North Mahaska (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP) — Sherburne 0-1-4-1, DeJong 3/1-3-2-10, Goemaat 3-0-4-6, Munson 6/4-2-2-18, Fleener 3-2-4-8, Rozendaal 3-3-1-9. Totals 18/5-14-17-52.

Colfax-Mingo (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP) — Berkey 0-1-2-1, Seebeck 0-0-3-0, Van Dyke 3-2-2-8, Jacobs 4/2-2-1-12, Koenig 1-0-4-2, Lewis 2/1-0-0-5, Hill 0-0-2-0, Nichols 8/1-4-2-2-21. Totals 18/4-9-16-49.