They've got a tougher stretch just ahead, but the top-ranked Carey School boys' varsity basketball team made it look easy Tuesday night in a 69-33 steamrolling of The Community School Cutthroats, in Carey.
Capturing its eighth straight game, Carey (16-1, 9-0 Northside Conference) kept its unbeaten home record (7-0) and unblemished league mark intact by a 36-point winning margin. Coach Dick Simpson's deep Panthers have won eight January games by an average 21.3 ppg.
Senior Tadd Green, Carey's leading scorer at 17.6 ppg, finished with a game-high 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. With 983 points in 66 career games, Green is nearing 1,000 in his Panther varsity career.
Junior Christian Cairncross (12.6 ppg) topped the Cutthroats (3-10, 2-7) with 8 points and 5 rebounds in the Northside Conference contest.
Carey out-rebounded the Cutthroats 36-20 and shot 50% from the field. The Panthers will try to keep their hot shooting and strong boardwork going tonight, Friday when the Dietrich Blue Devils (7-10, 4-6) come to Carey. It's a possible preview of Carey's opening-round match-up in the Northside Sub-District 1A tournament starting Feb. 9 in Shoshone.
Next Tuesday's "Senior Night" game will bring the Richfield Tigers (12-3, 7-1) to Carey. The reigning Northside Conference champion Tigers are seeking revenge for their 65-56 home loss to Carey Jan. 6.
Richfield, a 36-point winner at Shoshone Tuesday night, will be facing a red-hot Carey squad.
Almost effortlessly, Carey got its running game in gear against the Cutthroats and found the open man in building a 42-17 half-time lead. Junior Cody Baird (4.2 ppg) was a big factor for Carey in the first half, scoring all 11 of his points while pulling down 4 boards and dishing out 3 assists in the first 16 minutes.
Senior gunner Tyler Cook (16.0 ppg) drilled three 3-pointers in the second, giving him 49 from behind the 19-foot, 9-inch arc. Cook ended with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. One of Cook's assists was a fancy behind-the-back feed to Baird on transition in the first quarter.
Other Carey contributors were Allen Peck (9 points, 4 rebounds), Brad Hunt (5 points, 5 boards, 4 steals), D.J. Simpson (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals), Bryan Hill (4 points, 3 boards, 2 assists), Ben Neilson (2 points, 2 rebounds) and James Carlson (2 points, 2 assists).
Pitching in for the Cutthroats: Spencer Harris (6 points, 3 boards, 3 steals, 2 assists), Mac Whittington (6 points, 2 rebounds), Kevin Wade (5 points), Max Harris (4 points, 4 boards), Alden Remington (4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) and Brendan Nelson (2 boards, 3 assists).
Coach Mike Wade's Cutthroats are idle until next Tuesday's "Senior Night" home game against Richfield.
In Tuesday's junior varsity contest, coach Danny Simpson's Carey JV (15-2, 11-0) stayed unbeaten in Northside play 59-31 over coach Austin Tyler's Cutthroats (5-10, 4-8). Carey raced to a 25-10 half-time lead in winning its fifth straight game.
Tyler Parke (16 points), Kade Peterson (15) and Moj Broadie (6) paced the deep Panther JV. Max Sabel (13) and Jeff Gaecke (12) led the Cutthroats, who are fighting an uphill battle to gain a spot in the four-team Northside JV tournament starting Feb. 9 at Shoshone's gym.
