Riders bounce back

Byron Beers, Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.
·2 min read

Feb. 27—Hulbert didn't waste any time putting a Thursday loss behind them on Friday.

The Riders stormed back from a 64-60 loss to Nowata and blasted Chelsea, 70-41, Friday afternoon to keep its season alive in a Class 2A Regional Tournament in Hulbert.

Nolan Edmundson poured in a career-high 33 points and helped offset an early-game injury to Ethan Chuculate, who left in the first quarter with a cut to his eye that required 12 stitches.

"The guys knew someone had to step up after Ethan went out, and Nolan certainly did just that," Hulbert head coach Jordan Hill said. "He did everything he could in his power to keep our team alive and going."

The Riders, who improved to 14-6 overall, advance to play Pocola at 3 p.m. Saturday in the consolation championship. Pocola eliminated Caney Valley with a 49-30 win Friday evening.

Edmundson drained four 3-pointers and scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. The senior went 7 for 7 from the free throw line.

Senior forward Gabe Lewis added 13 points for Hulbert. Lewis canned a pair of 3s and five field goals. David Jacobs finished with eight points and also had a pair of 3-pointers.

The Riders knocked down 10 3-pointers as a team and had a healthy 39-17 lead at halftime.

"We got up early and we kept our foot on the gas," Hill said. "This was the first game this year that we played all four quarters really well. We were good from start to finish."

Chuculate will miss Saturday's contest but is expected to return next week if the Riders move on to the area tournament.

Pocola enters Saturday's game with a 12-9 overall record. It will be the second meeting in less than a week between the two teams. The Riders beat Pocola, 48-33, to claim a district title on Tuesday.