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Short-handed Argyle boys basketball team falls
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Argyle sophomore Trey Waage drives between Potosis Alex Wright, left, and Spencer Hawes Monday night in the Orioles 70-39 loss. Times photo: Mark Nesbitt
ARGYLE - Playing without its leading scorer, the Argyle boys basketball team faced an uphill climb against the top team in the Six Rivers West Conference on Monday night.

Argyle sophomore Christopher Severson missed the game against Potosi with an infected toe and the Chieftains dominated the Orioles for a 70-39 win.

Argyle coach Brandon Bakken said Severson's infected toe will require surgery and he could miss 10 days.

"I don't want to tell a kid to be tough and tell him how much pain he can play with," Bakken said. "It may be two weeks or longer."

Argyle committed 22 turnovers and Potosi had a 33-16 advantage in rebounding.

"I knew coming in they would play aggressive and play in your shorts defense," Bakken said. "We struggle with that. It's not the first game we got outrebounded. Rebounding is about effort. As a team we have to play through fatigue."

Potosi (9-2, 4-1 Six Rivers West) dominated the game from the opening tip. The Chieftains set the tone early on by grabbing five offensive rebounds in the first quarter that led to several second-chance scoring opportunities.

Potosi juniors Hunter Leibfried and Spencer Hawes each scored seven points in the first quarter. Hawes had two steals and layups late in the first quarter to give the Chieftains an 18-7 lead.

Leibfried finished with 18 points and Hawes had 14.

The turnovers started piling up for the Orioles (3-9, 0-5 Six Rivers East) in the second quarter when the Chieftains outscored them 18-4 to build a 22-point halftime lead. Potosi used a press for most of the first quarter, but the Orioles struggled attacking the basket in the halfcourt, leading to most of their turnovers. The Orioles had more turnovers (12) than points (11) in the first half.

Argyle sophomore Alec Treuthardt scored a game-high 18 points and was a bright spot for the Orioles. Seniors Jared Johnson and Kyle Zwicker each added six points.

"Part of the problem is we have a short bench," Bakken said. "We got tried physically and at first mentally."

Bakken credited Treuthardt for taking on more of a scoring role in Severson's absence.

"I think Alec did a good job of stepping up with our leading scorer out," Bakken said. "He works his tail off. I think we had moments where we executed our offense."

Leibfried and Hawes came out and each drilled 3-pointers to open the third quarter to give the Chieftains a 39-13 lead. The Orioles trailed by as many as 34 points in the second.

"Defensively, any time you give up 70 points, I don't think you have anything to be happy about," Bakken said.

Argyle now gears up to host Juda on Thursday.

"It's at the point where the kids could cash in the season," Bakken said. "We talked about what we did well. We have to build on that before the tournament."