The Horton boys’ basketball team has had its share of struggles this year, but with top scorer Taylor Olson back in the lineup after missing substantial time due to a stress fracture, the Chargers are a completely different team.
Immaculata fell victim to that on Friday night. Just three nights after Olson had scored 20 points in a near-upset at Wathena, he led all scorers with 12 on Friday to push the Chargers to a 42-34 victory over the Raiders.
“He makes a big difference. He’s a big, strong kid...” Immaculata head coach Mike Connelly said. “He had quite a few assists too. He’s a good team player.”
The Raiders (4-12, 1-6 in Delaware Valley League play) did hold Olson to just three points in the first half, and Connelly said he would’ve thought his team could’ve won by keeping Horton to 42 points on the night, but neither team could get much going offensively. It was still tied at 6-6 heading into the second quarter.
“Both teams were missing,” Connelly said. “We weren’t hitting, and they weren’t hitting either. ... Then they just had one stretch there where they hit a three and a couple twos there at the end of the second quarter and opened it up a little bit.”
That 7-0 run turned out to be a big difference in the game. The Raiders had an 11-10 lead before the Chargers (2-12, 1-6 in the DVL) used that spurt to surge ahead 17-11 heading into the intermission, and they held the lead the rest of the contest.
“That’s what has been happening to us,” Connelly said. “When we get down six or eight points, it has been very difficult for us to over-take them because we’re just not very good scorers right now.”
Olson started to shake loose in the second half, helping Horton maintain a 28-21 lead heading into the fourth quarter despite what Connelly said was a good effort by the Raider defense against him.
“Ryan Johnson did a good job,” Connelly said. “We were in a 1-3-1, but we were pretty aware of him, and Tyler Heintzelman too. We did a pretty good job of knowing where he was at.
“The effort is there on defense. Just a little better blocking out will go a long way for us, not giving the other team second and third shots. ... We’ve just got to work harder on the boards.”
Johnson also had a good game offensively for IHS, leading the Raiders with 11 points.
“That’s his high for the last six games,” Connelly said. “So that’s a positive.”
Logan Longwell added 10 for IHS, and Sean Murray had five. Heintzelman scored four, and Corey Leintz and Randy Freeman each had two. The Raiders went 6-for-13 from the free-throw line, while Horton went 7-for-13.
IHS will play again on Tuesday at home against DVL-rival Oskaloosa. The senior-night game is scheduled to tip at 8:30 p.m.
