Holcomb takes conference matchup (and Risco’s homecoming) by storm

Armored with bright purple Nikes, the offensive power of Holcomb (8-8) senior Braiden Burk was not to be questioned from the moment he set foot on the court in Risco (6-9) Friday night in Holcomb’s 72-59 conference matchup triumph over the Tigers on their homecoming night.

Burk was the leading scorer of the night, putting back 27 total points which included three 3-pointers, two jump shots made to look easy and a 14-for-14 showing from the free throw line.

Burk contributed one of Holcomb’s 3’s in a long range shootout to start the game. Risco’s CJ Blankenship, son of head coach Brandon Blankenship, kicked things off with a 3-point shot while Tiger sharpshooter Sammy Smith put in two more before things settled down.

“Braiden Burk had a phenomenal game for us,” Holcomb head coach Michael Snider said. “I thought early on he was forcing things, but he was making shots and he got hot. When he got hot, the game got a lot easier.”

Not to be overshadowed, Smith proved himself to be the second-leading scorer of the game with just one fewer point than Burk. Smith contributed 26 points worth of two 3’s, 10 2-point plays and two free throws.

Risco's Sammy Smith attempts a 3-point shot during the Tigers' homecoming game against Holcomb Friday night.Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

Holcomb led 14-11 after the first quarter and 35-28 at halftime while the game was still very much anyone’s to claim.

Risco’s Blankenship opened the second half with yet another 3-pointer which began a run that cut the Tigers’ deficit to just four points, 39-35, just before Holcomb scored seven unanswered points.

“We talked about at every timeout about how they’re going to end up making a shot and they were going to get juiced up,” Snider said. “We had to be able to take a shot on the chin and come back with one of our own. Every time they were able to get a shot we were able to get a foul and go to the free throw line.”

Leading by seven points entering the fourth quarter, 48-41, Holcomb’s hands got hot and their shots began falling.

Despite not putting in a single 3-point basket in the fourth quarter, all five players on the court contributed. Max Harmon and Noah Kenner each scored five more, Landon Smith and Bryce McNabb both scored two, and Braiden Burk effortlessly threw in ten free throws before the end of the night.

“Tonight was a great, great win for our program,” Snider said. “It’s a great win because of how good of a program Risco is. Coach Blankenship does a fantastic job and I have the utmost respect for him. Any time you can come to Risco and sneak out with a win, that’s a great night.”

The win certainly did not come easy, and it took a physical, contrived effort from start to finish to win a game with both morale-boosting and conference standing implications.

“We just got beat,” Risco head coach Brandon Blankenship said. “They out-hustled us, they outplayed us, and I think they wanted to beat us more than we wanted to beat them. Their defense was tough and we didn’t get anything easy. I felt like they were scoring a lot easier than we were.”

On the junior varsity front, Risco maintained a remarkably narrow lead through the entire game and held off Holcomb for a 55-51 win.

Holcomb had most recently won two games against Delta C-7 and Clearwater. Risco was in search of a comeback win after recently falling to Senath-Hornersville and Cooter.

Up next, Risco travels to Gideon (1-12) on Tuesday. Holcomb hosts Clarkton (9-8) Tuesday night as well.