Bobcats improve over summer league season

Going into their summer basketball schedule, the Superior boy’s basketball team was looking to continue improving from the previous season and have some fun along the way.

Through 17 games, it looks as though they are on the right track. The team has posted a 14-3 record and excited fans with their improved and up-tempo play.

The following is a summary of the summer season through July 22nd.

The summer schedule began with a trip to Victor to face the host Pirates along with the Darby Tigers.

In the first game versus Darby, Superior used stifling half court man-to-man defense and a strong transition game from guards Bill Smith, Zach Benda and Adam Kay along with excellent passing by Clint Voll to take a 44-22 victory. Aaron Lowman contributed a solid rebounding effort to the win. In the night cap, the Bobcats challenged an extremely tough Victor squad and fell to the Pirates 35-28.

Next up for Superior was a trip to Arlee to square off against defending state runner up Arlee and the Plains Horsemen.

Against Arlee, Superior used strong post play by Aaron Lowman and Clint Voll and a late scoring run to down the Warriors 89-72. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they couldn’t overcome a 15 point half time deficit and lost to Plains 74-72 in a nail biting finish.

With their record even at 2-2, the Cats headed to Hot Springs for two games. In the first contest, Superior used great team defense, highlighted by 4 steals from Adam Kay, and a strong performance from Aaron Lowman to defeat the Savage Heat.

The next game featured a tough squad from Plains. Superior used an excellent floor game from Bill Smith and solid board work from Aaron Lowman and Adam Kay to top the Horsemen 63-52.

For the Bobcats, next up was one of the best games of the summer played against several familiar faces. An Alumni team featuring former Bobcat greats such as David Repke, Jeff Schultz, Scott Wilkinson, Tyler Stenberg, Brian Labbe, Travis Stroot and Yim Srbenjikal took on the youngsters. In a hotly contested game, the high school team used a late rebound basket by Zach Benda to take a 68-66 win against the highly talented group of former players.

A trip to Missoula the next week ended well for the Bobcats as they scored wins versus Valley Christian and Hot Springs.

Versus the Eagles, Superior used great perimeter defense led by Adam Kay, Zach Benda, Bill Smith and Tucker Smith and some great early offense from Daylon Kuhl to soundly defeat a short handed opponent. In the second game, the Cats used a dominating performance from Clint Voll and a late 17-0 run spearheaded by numerous fast break baskets, most of which were assisted by Bill Smith, to win 45-23.

The team then played in the Victor tournament that featured 6 games in two days. In their tourney debut, Superior outlasted Hamilton 57-41.

The Cats used outstanding passing by perimeter players Tucker Smith, Adam Kay, Zach Benda and Daylon Kuhl that led to a combined 38 points from Aaron Lowman, Clint Voll and Jarrod Tippens. The latter trio also combined for 25 important rebounds.

The following game versus Frenchtown’s JV saw the Bobcats use a combined 12 assists from Tucker Smith, Adam Kay and Zach Benda along with four steals by Daylon Kuhl to earn a double digit win.

The game of the tournament occurred next as Superior battled Hamilton to a 4-overtime classic won by the Broncs 47-44. Clint Voll registered 17 points and 10 rebounds and was backed by 10 points from Zach Benda along with excellent team defense spearheaded by Adam Kay, Aaron Lowman and Tucker Smith.

Saturday morning brought Valley Christian as the opponent. Superior, led by great passing from Adam Kay, Tucker Smith and Aaron Lowman, defeated the Eagles 45-30. Next, the Cats beat Darby as Bill Smith, Adam Kay and Aaron Lowman combined for 15 assists and Clint Voll, Jarrod Tippens, Lowman, and Kay combined to corral 30 rebounds. Donovan Linear, Tucker Smith, Tanner Smith and Daylon Kuhl all were strong off the bench versus the Tigers.

In the championship game, Superior took advantage of a tired Victor squad, playing its third consecutive game, to top the Pirates 37-21.

Zach Benda led a stiff Superior defense as he held Victor’s leading scorer well below his usual scoring output. On offense, Jarrod Tippens led the Cats with 9 points and Clint Voll and Aaron Lowman swept the glass for 14 rebounds. Great team defense and unselfish play were huge keys to winning the tournament championship.

After a string of away games, Superior returned home to play Hot Springs and Valley Christian.

In the first contest, Superior used an excellent transition game led by Bill Smith, Adam Kay, Zach Benda and Tucker Smith and excellent outlets from Clint Voll, Jarrod Tippens and Donovan Linear to clip the Savage Heat.

Against the Eagles from Valley Christian, Superior used an intense team defensive effort, strong post play from Jarrod Tippens and Clint Voll and an excellent all around performance from Adam Kay in racing to a 60-36 win.

During both home games, the Superior received strong play from Tucker Smith, Tanner Smith, Daylon Kuhl and Donovan Linear.

Incoming freshmen Josh Benda and Luke Boyce have also played in summer games with the team and are improving a great deal.