LHS boys take down St. Thomas More

On Saturday, Jan. 24 the Lennox High School boys basketball team traveled to Mitchell to compete in the Hanson Classic, awaiting them was fourth ranked St. Thomas More. Lennox jumped out to an early 17-4 lead after the opening quarter and despite a come-back attempt from St. Thomas More in the fourth, the Orioles hung on for the 51-49 victory. 

“I was proud of how the boys came out and responded after Thursday night’s loss and then having no school and practice on Friday. We rose to the occasion against the number 4 rated team in the state and held them to 15 points in the first half,” said LHS head coach Jacob Hinker. “We struggled offensively in the second half, but made enough free throws at the end of the game to secure the victory.”

For the Orioles, Aiden Hanssen led the way with 15 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal. Cole Spieler hit two three-pointers in the game and finished the night with ten points. He also had two rebounds and two assists. Drake Mikkelsen went four of six from the field to finish with eight points. He also had six rebounds and one assist. Tate Gerdes scored seven points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had a team-high five assists. Both Teegen Musser and Eli Plank scored four points each and Talen Eich had three points. Musser also grabbed six rebounds in the game. 

Prior to their win over St. Thomas More, the Orioles traveled to West Central and faced off against an undefeated Trojan team on Thursday, Jan. 22. Lennox found themselves playing catch-up early on and weren’t able to get over the hump, falling 45-33. 

“We got out and struggled to get anything going offensively in the 1st quarter and were playing from behind the whole game,” said Hinker. “ West Central guarded us well and limited our possessions to make it tough to make a comeback. They were a good basketball team and there was a lot to learn from that.”

Against the Trojans, Spieler and Musser each scored ten points. Spieler went three of three from downtown and grabbed one rebound and had one assist. Musser grabbed four boards and had one assist in the game. 

Eich finished with three points and Hanssen, Plank, Mikkelsen, Gerdes, and Brennen Juffer each had two. Gerdes had four rebounds and led the team in assists with six. Hanssen led the team in steals with three. 

The Orioles will compete in the DakXII/NEC Clash on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 1:15 p.m.