Sports writer
Two tough league competitions this past week led to one victory and one loss for the Peabody-Burns High School boys’ basketball team.
PBHS won a close one Jan. 13 against Goessel, 42-39, but lost Friday to Moundridge, 60-52.
With the loss, the Warriors are now 8-2 and will be in play next at the Burrton Tournament.
Goessel
The score was tied at 14 after one quarter of play against the Bluebirds.
Jacob Simmonds led the team with six points and Aaron Topham had five.
Martin Hofkamp added a basket and Brian O’Neal put in a free throw.
PBHS defense came up big in the second and held Goessel to one basket. The PBHS offense scored seven points with four from Hofkamp and three from Simmonds.
The Warriors had the lead at the half, 21-16.
The Bluebird offense took flight in the third and outscored PBHS, 14-9.
For the Warriors, O’Neal had three points, Brian Wingert, Topham, and Simmonds each added a basket, and the score was tied at 30 at the end of the period.
The difference in the final quarter was free throws.
Twelve points were scored by the Warriors, half from the line.
Topham paced the team in the fourth with seven points, including three free throws.
Jake Middleton had three, all free throws. Hofkamp scored a basket. Goessel scored nine in the final period, but PBHS hung on for the victory, 42-39.
Topham led the team scoring with 14 points. Hofkamp led the defense with 15 rebounds while Simmonds had four assists.
pbhs scoring
Aaron Topham, 14; Jacob Simmonds, 11; Martin, Hofkamp, 8; Brian O’Neal, 4; Jake Middleton, 3; Brian Wingert, 2.
Moundridge
Moundridge seized the early lead with eight points from the field.
Hofkamp put PBHS on the board with just less than five minutes left on the clock in the first quarter.
Topham came up with two baskets before the end of the quarter but the Wildcats led 11-7 at the end of the period.
Tough defense slowed the Wildcat offense in the second.
PBHS held Moundridge to nine points. Physical play led to many trips to the free-throw line and a slower quarter, but PBHS took the lead on a Simmonds basket with two and one-half minutes left in the second.
The Warriors maintained the lead with points from Sean Jones and O’Neal.
A coast-to-coast lay-up by Wildcat Trey Unrau cut the Warrior lead to two, 22-20, with four seconds left in the half.
The third quarter was a disaster for the Warriors. Fouls were rampant and the PBHS offense went cold.
With only seven Warrior points in the quarter, four from Topham and three from Simmonds, PBHS lost the halftime edge.
With the addition of 19 points, Moundridge regained the lead. PBHS trailed by 10 at the end of the period, 39-29.
Both offenses scored well in the fourth but PBHS could not overcome the dismal third quarter offense.
The Warriors did get as close as three, 49-46, on a three-pointer from Middleton with two and one=half minutes left to play, but the Wildcats took control of the free-throw line and sustained the lead for the win.
Hofkamp led the quarter with eight and Simmonds had seven. Cade Middleton and O’Neal added three each and Topham had two.
Topham and Simmonds led PBHS with 13 points each. Hofkamp had 12. Unrau led the Moundridge offense with 41 points.
pbhs scoring
Jacob Simmonds,13; Aaron Topham,13; Martin Hofkamp,12; Brian O’Neal,7; Sean Jones,4; Cade Middleton, 3.
Burrton
PBHS defeated Fairfield, 60-39, Tuesday in the first round of the Burrton tournament, and are now 9-2.