EARL WATT • Leader & Times
In a game that had 18 lead changes, the Seward County Saints and Colby Trojans couldn’t pull away from each other until the final five minutes when the Saints put together a 15-0 run to earn a 74-63 win.
Seward’s largest lead in the first half was four points when Wilson Dubinsky knocked down a three for a 14-10 lead.
But with 7:01 to play in the first half Colby’s Bachir Camara knocked down a basket that gave the Trojans an 18-16 advantage.
Colby built a nine-point lead with six minutes to play before half, 25-16, but with 52 seconds to play before the break, Niko Smith connected on a shot to give the Saints a 30-29 lead, and by halftime, the score was tied 31-31.
Colby scored the first four points of the second half, but Seward regained the lead with 14:02 to play with a Jaylin Henderson three-pointer that gave Seward a 38-36 lead.
It only took Colby 14 seconds to knock down a three to regain the lead that sparked a see-saw battle that saw the lead change hands four more times, and with 11:49 to play the Trojans had a 44-43 lead.
The lead changed hands two more times over the next minute, and Colby expanded the lead to 48-45 with 10:22 to play.
After five more lead changes, Seward had a 55-54 lead with 7:10 to play after a pair of Smith free throws.
That began a 15-0 run that gave Seward a 68-54 lead with two minutes to play, and the Saints cruised to the 74-63 win.
Henderson led the Saint with 18 points, Smith came off the bench to score 15, and Blessin Kimble scored 13.
Seward traveled to Dodge City Saturday for a key conference match-up with the Conquistadors.