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WCHS boys still searching for a cure

WEBSTER CITY – A 21-day break did little to cure what ailed the Webster City boys’ basketball team.

And now it’s right back to the drawing board.

Looking to make a statement following the holiday lay-off – a stretch where the team had to stew about back-to-back losses at the end of December – the Lynx instead made too many mental and physical mistakes against an athletic and hot-shooting Algona team that led wire-to-wire for a 66-53 victory.

Algona (7-2, 4-1 NCC) snapped its two-game skid and sent WCHS (5-3, 2-3 NCC) to its third setback in a row.

Passive on offense, particularly in the first half, and a half step slow all night defensively led to a lot of somber looks coming from the Lynx bench.

“Our one-on-one defense just wasn’t good enough, especially in the first half,” WCHS head coach Marty McKinney said. “They got to the rim pretty much at will and it put us on our heels. It just wasn’t good fundamental defense.”

Algona outscored WCHS 14-2 over the final five minutes of the second period to push its lead to 12, 31-19. The half couldn’t have ended more disastrously for the Lynx; Bulldogs’ guard Landon Rash hit a transition runner and was fouled for an old-fashioned 3-point play. On the blocking foul, WCHS guard Alec Fuhs also drew a technical foul for slapping the floor, and Algona’s Luke TerHark completed what was a five-point possession by sinking both free throws.

Mason Myers, the Lynx shooting guard, was also tagged with a technical foul in the fourth quarter.

“It’s discipline, and that’s on me. I’ve got to have my team more disciplined,” McKinney said after the technicals. “Those are huge plays in the game and they just can’t happen. If we’re going to win more basketball games we’ve got to be more disciplined.”

TerHark, who entered the game averaging better than 20 points per game, led all scorers with 23 points. Peter Hollinger coaxed in 16 for the Bulldogs and Rash finished with 11.

Myers scored 12 in the loss. Alec Fuhs and Colt Richardson both dropped in 11.

Avery Fuhs, the Lynx second leading scorer on the season, was limited to just six points. He was hamstrung by fouls throughout the first half; he went to the bench with two fouls with 3:51 left in the first, came back with four minutes to go in the second and promptly picked up his third just 1:37 later.

Seven of the Lynx 18 field goals came from outside the 3-point arc. Alec Fuhs knocked down three, while Myers and Landon Daniels both drained two.

Algona’s zone defense lulled WCHS to sleep in the first quarter as the visitors raced out to a 12-4 lead less than 51?2 minutes in.

“We were way too passive (offensively),” McKinney said. “We weren’t in attack mode, and that’s been our motto all year. We weren’t taking it to them and making the defense react to us.”

WCHS showed glimpses of its early-season magic at the start of the third quarter. A couple of steals by Avery Fuhs and a pair of bombs from Daniels had the Lynx back to within four, 35-31, with 5:15 left in the stanza. Algona answered by scoring 11 of the final 17 points.

“We came out in the third quarter with some emotion and got back into the game, but we just weren’t consistent enough at both ends of the floor,” McKinney said.

Richardson scored nine of his points in the second half and gave WCHS some much-needed production from an area other the perimeter. McKinney says the Lynx will need to continue to diversify offensively as the schedule gets even tougher in the coming weeks.

“We’ve got to have production from our posts,” McKinney said. “Colt’s a good offensive player and he gets his shots.”

Richardson also pulled down seven rebounds. Alec Fuhs collected six rebounds and three assists.

No. 1 W-SR holds off Lynx, 58-52

WAVERLY – Mason Myers and the Webster City boys’ basketball team gave top-ranked (Class 3A) Waverly-Shell Rock all it wanted in a back-and-forth non-conference game Saturday evening.

Trailing with just under four minutes to go, the unbeaten Go-Hawks (9-0) rallied to fend off the Lynx (5-4), 58-52.

It was the fourth straight loss for WCHS, but head coach Marty McKinney says he and his club can build off this performance.

“I’ve got to give our guys a lot of credit because (Friday night’s loss to Algona) was obviously not good in a lot of different ways, but we faced adversity and fought back. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort,” McKinney said. “We didn’t back down from them and we battled.”

Myers had arguably his best game of the season with a game-high 20 points and four rebounds.

“Mason played a great all-around game,” McKinney said. “He stepped up a like a senior leader and I’ve been challenging him a lot.”

Landon Daniels pitched in 12 points and Alec Fuhs added seven.

UNI recruit Austin Phyfe, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, led the Go-Hawks with 16 points. Camry Moore finished with 15.

W-SR all-state guard Jake Velky scored 12 points, but sat on the bench during the second half after he picked up a technical foul late in the first half.

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