Pirates Bury Huskies; 3-3 At Christmas Break

By Kevin Yoder  

On a night where holiday spirit was in the air, the Pirates unwrapped their most complete game of the pre-Christmas schedule and crushed Oelwein 71-33.  The Hudson boys sit at .500 going into the break, but despite their record they continue to rank at the top of Class 2A in points per game allowed. That trend continued Monday as the Pirates opened the game playing suffocating defense. The difference on this night however,  was that shots were falling at a rate not seen so far this season.  

Tade Roberts began the game doing what he does best, dominating the interior. The Huskies had no answer, and he went for 19 points before halftime, ultimately finishing with a  game-high 23.  

But on this night, the rest of the team became the story, and continually converted on what became a contagious barrage of perimeter shots. Austin Kliegl, Blake Delagardelle, Bowen Backes, Jackson Nesteby and Jaxson Willand all contributed to a season-high 13  made three-pointers.  

Four Pirates finished the game in double figures. Led by Roberts’ 23, Delagardelle had 14, Nesteby 12 off the bench and Kliegl a career high 11.  

The Oelwein victory comes on the heels of a challenging week for the Pirates, as they dropped a 59-31 game to Aplington-Parkersburg, and a came up on the short end of a hard fought 55-45 loss to Waterloo Columbus.  

The Pirates never led against the Falcons, as the game got away from them early, and they were never able to mount a charge. Roberts led the way with 14, while Liam Rhymer had a career-high 5 and Backes chipped in a three-point shot.  

The game against Columbus was a bit of a different story. While the boys trailed early once again, they continued to play exceptional defense and chipped away at a 10-point first half Sailor lead. Down two in the fourth quarter they had multiple possessions with a chance to  take the lead, but couldn’t get a go-ahead basket, and ultimately succumbed to Columbus and  the ten point loss.  

Tade Roberts had a career night in defeat, finishing with a high of 29. Owen Bell contributed 7 while Backes went 2/2 from range for his six points.  

With a two-week hiatus ahead the Pirates aim to reload with an eye on the 2026 portion of their schedule. Coach Sean Leonard is pleased with the progress the team has made, and  feels the best is yet to come for this developing team.  

“I think we’ve done a great job hanging in there while we’ve had some key pieces miss  time with injuries,” he began. “We’ve had others step up and start playing pretty well in their  absence. This will be a blessing for us in the long run as it’s created true depth that every team  needs.  

With the bulk of the schedule still ahead, Leonard knows the team is measured by wins  and losses, but it isn’t something that’s given much time in the locker room.  “We don’t talk about winning. We talk about giving a winning effort. Our effort was  phenomenal the last 2 times out heading into the break. I believe we’ll pick up where we left off  and I think it’s going to be a real fun 2nd half to the season.”  

That second half kicks off with a home date on Tuesday, January 6 in the Pirate Ship  against the Denver Cyclones.