By CONOR NICHOLL
Holcomb girls’ basketball has no seniors – and has enjoyed its best start in nine seasons. The Longhorns have started 6-2 with losses to two ranked 3A squads. Last week, Holcomb earned a quality 55-49 win against Colby on Thursday and 49-20 versus Ulysses on Friday. They also beat Lakin on Tuesday.
This is the first time Holcomb has posted five wins after seven games since a 20-3 record in 2013-14. Since then, the Longhorns have opened 3-4, 3-4, 1-6, 4-3, 0-7, 3-4, 2-5 and 3-4.
Holcomb started the year with a 52-43 loss to Cimarron, and then defeated Meade 55-34. Holcomb picked up a quality 55-48 win against South Gray on Dec. 9, and defeated Cimarron, 49-40. On Dec. 16, Holcomb lost, 69-36, to Goodland before the wins last week against Colby and Ulysses.
Holcomb will face Scott City on Friday. The Longhorns have three juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
Holcomb had lost two in a row and was 2-8 in its last 10 against Colby. The Longhorns were 1-7 in its last eight versus Cimarron, which has senior McKayla Miller, a Creighton commit. Goodland is ranked No. 1 in 3A and the defending state champion. Cimarron was ranked tenth in 3A last week.
Junior Jera Kruleski paces with 19.2 points a game, while sophomore Halle Jones has 13.6 points a contest. Jones is shooting 51 percent, Kruleski has 49 percent. Jones has 8.6 rebounds a contest, while freshman Isabella Galliart has 3.4 assists. Jones had 2.2 assists a game.
Kruleski has 3.4 steals a game, while Galliart has 2.4 steals a contest. Holcomb has 25 3-point makes. In the Colby victory, Jones had 24 points and 12 rebounds. Against Cimarron, Kruleski delivered 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting.
Last season, Kruleski finished with 15.1 points a game, while Jones delivered 8.9 points and five rebounds.
