So far, so excellent for the Yuma High School boys basketball team.
The Indians are 4-0 entering the final weekend of 2021 portion of the 2021-22 season. All their wins have come by double digits. They are ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, and are No. 1 in the early-season Rating Percentage Index — as of this past Tuesday’s update.
However, they will be seriously challenged to give themselves an undefeated December as a Christmas present.
The Indians close out the season’s first month by hosting the inaugural YHS Holiday Tournament, Friday and Saturday.
And it is not some kind of pad-the-record type of holiday tournament.
The Indians will be hosting Eaton, ranked No. 4 in 3A, Limon, ranked No. 1 in 2A, and Heritage Christian, which is not ranked in 2A but will bring a 3-1 record to town.
Yuma gets Heritage Christian first at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, while Eaton and Limon will play at 4:30. The winners meet for the championship Saturday at 5:30 p.m., while the losers play for third place at 2:30.
It will be the Tribe’s final games in 2021. They will open Lower Platte Activities Association play when the season resumes in January, hosting Haxtun and Holyoke on back-to-back days, January 7-8.
The LPAA currently has five of its nine teams ranked — in 2A Yuma is No. 2, Wray No. 3 and Holyoke No. 6, while in 1A Haxtun is No. 1 and Merino is No. 7. Wiggins was ranked in the 2A Top 10 before dropping out this week. (CHSAANow.com polls).
Yuma’s Tribe rolled over a pair of 3A schools this past week to stay undefeated.
The Indians hosted Platte Valley, last Friday in The Pit. The Broncos came to town with a 4-0 record, but left with an 82-59 loss.
Yuma wasted little time in racing out to a 9-2 lead, and were up 18-8 by the end of the first quarter. Utilizing its suffocating full-court pressure, Yuma pushed its lead to 30-14 midway through the second. Daman Thornton scored twice after getting a steal during a run that upped Yuma’s margin to 43-22 before the Broncos closed the half on a 5-0 spurt.
It hardly mattered, as some friendly rim bounces on back-to-back 3-pointers from Forest Rutledge and Clay Robinson pushed Yuma’s lead to 56-31.
Robinson opened the fourth with consecutive makes from downtown for a 75-48 lead, and the Indians cruised from there to the 23-point win.
The Indians shot 42 percent behind the arc (10 for 24), and made 20 of 41 on 2-pointers to finish with 46-percent shooting. They also made 12 of 17 at the charity stripe (70.6 percent), and outrebounded the Broncos 42-17. Platte Valley shot 49 percent from the floor, but took 22 less shots than Yuma.
Robinson made four of six 3-pointers while finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Jesus Ross had 11 points, three rebounds and four steals, Javier Duran 11 points, two rebounds and four steals, Rutledge 11 point and nine rebounds, Javier Gamboa five points, four steals and two assists, Beau Tate four points and eight rebounds, Thornton four points and four steals, Andre Baucke four points and two rebounds, Jaxson Lungwitz three points, Kobe Rayl two points, four rebounds and two assists, and Angel Escobar two points.
The Indians took a trip to “The Beet Cellar” at Brush High School for a rare Monday night game, earlier this week. They once again took care of business early, cruising to a 73-59 win.
Yuma opened last season with a close loss at Brush, but quickly left no doubt to the outcome, Monday, sprinting to an 18-5 lead less than three minutes into the game. The Indians led 26-12 by the end of the quarter.
They kept up the pressure and the offensive output in the second, going on a 13-2 run for a 43-18 lead. Gamboa scored Yuma’s last five points in the quarter as they had 51 at halftime.
They quickly pushed the lead to 58-28 early in the third, then never let Brush get closer than 24 points the rest of the game.
Yuma got to the rim in this game, shooting 65 percent on 2-point shots, making 24 of 37. The Indians were a bit colder behind the lines, shooting 30 percent on 3-pointers (six for 20) and 54 percent at the stripe (seven of 13). The Indians came up with 18 steals, leading to several good attacks to the basket. Brush committed 23 turnovers to only 13 for Yuma.
Four players scored in double figures as Gamboa had 14 points and three rebounds, Duran 13 points and two steals, Robinson 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, Ross 12 points and two steals, Tate eight points and three rebounds, Rutledge six points, Lungwitz four points, three steals and two rebounds, and Rayl and Thornton two points each.
