Springdale ends season for Colfax boys

Colfax freshman Carson Cloaninger waits for gravity to fetch NWC's Rolf Veenstra in the boys game Saturday at Reardan.

Basketball season came to an end for the Colfax boys Monday at West Valley when the Springdale Chargers posted an early lead and kept it all the way for a win in the elimination round in the NE playoffs. Final score was 52-41 with the Chargers advancing to another round of the playoff set for Wednesday night.

Colfax went into the game after being hammered 75-53 in the first round of the tournament Saturday at Reardan. The Crusaders arrived at the playoffs with an undefeated league record and the number-one slot on the north side.

Monday night at West Valley, Springdale sprinted to a 22-18 lead at the half and cranked their lead up by another three points after the third quarter in a defensive battle.

Colfax at one point closed to within four points, but as the clock ran down in the last quarter, Springdale actually began to increase the lead.

Colfax trailed by 15 points, 30-45, approaching the two minute mark.

The Bulldogs sprinted for six quick points with Keith Gfeller hitting a layup, Danny Robinson dropping two toss shots and Kenton Lyman adding a bucket.

That cut the Chargers' lead to eight points, 39-47, but that was as close as Colfax could get.

John Lynch, one of two seniors on the Springdale team, finished with 18 points.

Saturday at Reardan, the Bulldogs kept pace with NWC's green hoop machine for about the first three minutes, but NWC's David Olds hit a string of points and the Crusaders were off to the races.

Highlight for the Bulldogs was a three-point shot from near half court by Jayden Soncarty at the end of the first quarter. He teed it up again with a shorter range threebie at the end of the half.

NWC led 42-31 at halftime, and Ryan Ricks launched a 13-point explosion in the third quarter, dropping three 3-points shots.

Northwest put the lead over 20 points at 68-47 with 5:47 left the the game, and Colfax scored just six more points.

Colfax boys overall finished at 14-8 on the season. In their last league game of the season, the Bulldogs stacked a six-point win here over the St. George's Dragons, but the gap was not enough to earn a number-three ticket at the playoff start Saturday at Reardan.

That same St. George's team upset Liberty 58-51 in Monday's semi-final game and will play Northwest Christian, a 65-36 winner over the LRS Broncos in the other semi, in the NE championship game Friday at West Valley before rematch of Colfax and St. George's in the girls championship game.

Colfax seniors Lyman, Gfeller and Dustyn Hall wrapped up the hoop careers Monday at West Valley.

Northwest Christian 75-Colfax 53: 23/17 19/14 20/14 13/8: Danny Robinson 14, Keith Gfeller 9, Jared Kneale 5, Dustyn Hall 6, Kenton Lyman 7, Jayden Soncarty 6. NWC Ian Starkey 5, Rolph Veenstra 6, Ryan Ricks 18, Thomas Brown 6, Nathan Sander 6, David Olds 15, Asher Cox 17, Colton Batterton 2.

Springdale 52-Colfax 41: 13/7 9/1113/10 17/12: Robinson 6, Gfeller 9, Cal Gregory 2, Hall 6, Lyman 13, Soncarty 2. Springdale: Chandler Carr 12, Enoch Clemmer 6, Hunter Fitzgerald 4, Austin Howder 12, John Lynch 18.