HS Boys Basketball: Pirates Down Huskies In 1st Round 71-46

By Kevin Yoder  
Photo credit: Oliver Thompson

Survive and advance.  

The postseason is upon us, and it is the time of year when games become tighter, benches  become shorter, and the margin for error increasingly slim.  

Monday night Hudson hosted the Oelwein Huskies in the first round of the Class 2A district  tournament. Despite their winless record, the Pirates knew they had to take the fight to the underdog  Huskies.  

Both teams came out shooting well from three point range, and Hudson used both long balls  and their inside game to surge ahead by four after one quarter. They lengthened that lead to eleven by  halftime and nineteen after three.  

With leading scorer Tade Roberts in foul trouble the entire game, the supporting cast stepped  up. Blake Delagardelle, Jackson Nesteby, and Bowen Backes each took turns knocking down threes,  and Anderson Yoder and Owen Bell converted around the rim.  

What began as a back and forth battle, slowly turned into a 20-point game in the fourth quarter,  with the Pirates ultimately pulling away for the comfortable 25-point victory.  

Balanced scoring keyed the Pirate run, as Yoder finished with a team high 15, followed closely  by Nesteby’s 14, Roberts with 11, and Delagardelle and Bell with 9 each.  

Prior to tournament play, the Pirates had their final pair of regular season games last week. The  Union Knights came to town in the final NICL Conference tilt of the season. With the postseason  brackets coming out the day before, featuring Union once again in Hudson’s bracket, strategy played a  part in this one.  

The Pirates were a game opponent for a time, but an incredible shooting performance from the  Knights allowed Hudson to play their entire roster throughout the second half, ultimately falling by a  score of 74-32.  

The final regular season game last week took the Pirates to Waverly to take on the Go-Hawks.  Playing up a class was a good test heading to districts, and Hudson was hoping to avenge a loss to  WSR last season.  

A stout defensive battle saw the Go-Hawks take a 28-17 lead to the halftime break. In a game  that appeared to be getting away from the Pirates, the boys came out after halftime armed with  adjustments and a positive attitude. The result was a 21-6 run that put them up four with three and a half  minutes left.  

Unfortunately Hudson couldn’t close the deal and despite two late possessions to tie or take the  lead, that four point lead turned into a three point deficit. A final shot was knocked away and Hudson  lost to Waverly-Shell Rock 41-38.  

Jackson Nesteby led the Pirates with 12 points, followed by Tade Roberts with 11 and Anderson  Yoder with 6.  

The Hudson Pirates now shift their focus to the Columbus Catholic Sailors. Round 2 of district  play takes Hudson back to Waterloo tonight for the third installment of the Battle of the High Seas.  Columbus took the first two games this season between the NICL rivals, and with tip off scheduled for 7  pm, the team hopes fans pack the visitor side of the gym.