Waiting a while longer to welcome Sargent.yeah, it was probably better that way.
Because the Farmers had enough to deal with, even without an absent Preston Hardy.
Playing a non-league game postponed from a week earlier, the Bayfield boys found themselves at home Tuesday night, and wasted not the opportunity to build momentum for the five consecutive home dates to follow-including tonight's visit from Centauri. On Tuesday, they finished off Sargent 74-38.
Coming off last Friday's three-point (57-54) Intermountain League loss at Pagosa Springs, the Wolverines stopped a three-game skid on the strength of Jeff Lehnus' choice to fill the 6'7" Hardy's starting spot on Tuesday with 6'2" freshman Ryan Phelps.
Netting six points in helping BHS lead 16-8 through the initial eight minutes of play, Phelps later put in another nine in the third quarter, yielding a game-high 18. The Farmers, by comparison, totaled just four in the third quarter. Bayfield went into the fourth cruising 55-26, only to see its bench maintain the pace.
Sophomore forward Fred Edwards, who'd helped the junior varsity to a 63-43 victory earlier in the evening, dropped in six points, and senior Matthew Knickerbocker went off for 10 of his 12.
Junior guard Taed Heydinger contributed nine points in reserve duty and senior forward/center Aubry Brown, in addition to flicking a few nice passes through the paint, had five. Junior regular Zane Phelps scored seven, and senior guards Trevor Gabbard and Dillon Hoselton four and three, respectively.
The second quarter began with Sargent still close-though trailing 16-8, and it ended with Bayfield ahead 35-22. The 2A Farmers fell to 6-6 overall with the loss.
Improving to 8-4, though still 0-3 in the 3A IML, the Wolverines will welcome a well-rested, 7-7 (1-2 IML) Centauri Falcon squad tonight. Centauri wants to avenge their own recent three-point disappointment at home last Saturday inside against struggling non-league 3A Lamar.
LOVIN' THE LINE: Bayfield certainly dictated the interior action to Sargent, and earned 22 free-throw attempts-making 16-during the contest. The guests were awarded four.
