Bears roll big win in battle of state-rated teams

LAUREL — The Laurel-Concord-Coleridge boys basketball team proved Tuesday they are for real.

The Bears easily defeated Ponca 61-47 in a battle of state-rated teams here.

The win pushes the Bears record to 5-0 on the year.

LCC got off to a flying start, hanging 18 points on the Indians, while allowing the visitors just 12 in the first frame.

The Orange and Black really poured it on in the second quarter, dropping in 21, while limiting Ponca to just six to take a 39-18 lead into the locker room. The two teams played evenly over the final 16 minutes, but by then the Bears had things well under control.

LCC was led by a balanced scoring attack as four Bears hit for double figures.

Noah Schutte led the team in scoring with 22 points, while Ty Erwin hit for 14. Cael Hartung chipped in with 13 and Ethan Haisch added 10.

Schutte once again finished the contest with a double-double, pulling down 14 rebounds in the contest. Hartung was close to a doubledouble of his own, as he cleaned the glass for nine rebounds on the night.

The Bears had a hot shooting night, connecting on 58 percent of all of their shots from downtown and sizzling 64 percent of their regular field goal attempts. The Bears didn’t fare too well from the charity stripe, though, only connecting on 33 percent of their foul shots.

LCC took on Plainview Friday, but Holiday deadlines prevented the Advocate from getting that contest into this issue.

Results from that game will be in the next issue of the Advocate. The Bears will next be in action in the Great Northeast Neb. Shootout in Wayne. That tournament begins on Dec. 27 at Rice Arena on the campus of Wayne State College.

LCC 18 21 18 10— 67 Ponca 12 6 16 8 — 42

LCC Ponca FG 21-33 ---

3pt 7-12 ---

FT 4-12 ---

Reb 32 ---

TOs 7 ---

Fouls 9 ---

SCORING

LCC — Noah Schutte, 22; Ty Erwin, 14; Cael Hartung, 13; Evan Haisch, 10; Evan Schmitt, 6; Austin Hall, 2.

REBOUNDS

LCC — Noah Schutte, 14; Cael Hartung, 9; Ty Erwin, 3; Austin Hall, 3; Evan Schmitt, 2; Evan Haisch, 1.

ASSISTS