Huskies run past IMS

The Highland boys? basketball team made its run in the second quarter and was able to maintain its spot on top of the conference on Tuesday night, but the atmosphere at Highland High School didn?t resemble that of a victory.

The Huskies closed out a 54-45 victory over Iowa Mennonite, connecting on seven of eight free throws in the fourth quarter, but head coach Marcus Hall is still looking for more from his team.

?We did enough to win, because they are a good basketball team, but we left some things to be desired in certain areas,? Hall said. ?We had a stretch where our defensive effort dipped down, and it was the opposite of what gave us our run early. But you have to be happy with the win.?

The win moves Highland to 12-3 (8-2 in the SEISC North) tied with Lone Tree for the conference lead, while IMS falls to 8-5 (5-4 in the SEISC North).

?It felt like we got out-toughed tonight,? IMS head coach Dwight Gingerich said. ?We talked about it at halftime. I thought our guys showed a little more in the second half. Physically, (Highland) has pretty strong kids. We were battling, but it was a tough night for us.?

The Huskies were led by sophomore Chase Rath, who came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points in the contest, with 11 of those points coming in the second half.

?He?s someone who always stays ready,? Hall said. ?He might be eighth or ninth on our team in minutes, but he?s had a good couple of weeks of practice, and stayed composed. He rebounds well and defends well, and the offense is just a bonus. We needed him tonight and he came up huge.?

After a strong performance, setting a season-best in points, Rath said he is looking forward to adding more contributions to the team, which is in search of its first conference title since 1986.

?We went out and ran the court and found our openings,? Rath said. ?It feels good. It gives me energy to practice and play hard in these next games.?

IMS jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, with Cole Yoder and Reggie Borntrager each notching four points en route to an 11-7 lead.

After that, the Huskies went on a run that spanned through the middle of the second quarter, posting 17 consecutive points, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Tucker Hall to cap it off.

?We were playing good defense and didn?t have to take the ball out of bounds,? Marcus Hall said. ?Then we were in open-court situations, and that?s what happened for our run.?

IMS responded to end the first half with a 7-0 run of their own to make it 24-18 at the break, and continued their momentum into the third quarter.

After the Huskies opened the scoring in the second half, IMS went on an 8-2 run to draw within two points, but couldn?t get over the hump, and Highland extended its lead back to six points.

After that point, IMS couldn?t get back within five points and fell in the clash of two top teams in the conference.

?There was that second-quarter run where they found open shots, but I thought that last half, we did a better job of limiting them,? Gingerich said. ?They had to work a lot harder to get what they were getting.?

IMS was led by junior guard Nick Yutzy?s 13 points, while senior Eli Gingerich had 10 points, five assists and three steals.

As the Huskies look to continue their quest for a conference title, Hall said he thinks his team has yet to reach its full potential.

?I think the best version of ourselves has yet to be seen,? Hall said. ?I would say that we are a team that can go on runs, but sometimes we are inconsistent. That?s an issue I have to continue to address. The players have to stay competitive, and if they want it, they have to go get it.?

Highland will continue its season on Friday at Pekin, while IMS will host Columbus.