Following two losses to start its boys basketball season, Pacific notched its second straight win Tuesday with a 51-37 home victory over Festus.
The Indians (2-2) jumped on Festus early, leading 19-11 after one quarter and 31-18 at halftime.
“We had a good start to the game. We had a couple of slow starts at the Borgia Tournament against Carnahan and St. Clair, so we were focusing on playing better in the first quarter,” said Pacific Head Coach John VanLeer. “We scored 19 points against Festus in the first quarter, which got us going.”
Cullen VanLeer came out flying, hitting four three-pointers and scoring 14 points in the first quarter. He scored 19 points in the first half and finished the game with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds.
“Cullen shot the ball well. He was 5-7 from the three-point line. He took only two shots in the second half. He had a solid night,” VanLeer said. “Our other kids did a good job setting screens for him and getting him the ball.”
Pacific outscored Festus 20-19 in the second half and led 43-32 after three quarters.
Zeth Boyer scored 11 points for the Indians, shooting 5-8 from the field.
Jeffrey Hinkle added eight points and six rebounds on 4-7 shooting.
Logan Armstrong pitched in with four points. Brendan Jett-Kell scored three points. Tanner Brown and Neil DeBold both had two points.
“Zeth had his best offensive game. He shot the ball well,” VanLeer said. “Jeffrey got going offensively and Logan played well. Our inside guys had a good game.”
Pacific was 5-7 from the free-throw line, shot 50 percent from the field and committed only eight turnovers.
“We played with a lot of emotion,” VanLeer said. “It was good to play at home. Our crowd was awesome for a Tuesday night. Our student section did a great job.”
The Indians visit Farmington Friday, Dec. 7.
“The big thing for us is we have to get better every game and every practice,” VanLeer said. “If we do that, we should be in good shape at the end of the season.”
