Ipswich captured a 63-43 non-conference boys' high school basketball win over the Miller Rustlers last Thursday in the Tiger Den.

The Tigers briefly spotted the Rustlers a 4-3 lead, but that would be about the extent of it. That's because the IHS scorers initiated a 10-point run for a 13-4 lead of their own. Taylor Thorson started it with a basket and Ty Kadlec contributed a trey attempt. Josh McQuarie then added a free throw and a layup in two successive possessions, followed by yet another Thorson basket.

Ipswich's first double-figure scoring edge would be 20-9 after a McQuarie basket and the Tigers would lead 20-11 at the first-quarter break. They really created some distance with a 17-6 second-quarter scoring edge for a 37-17 halftime lead. Miller did respond with a 15-14 third-quarter rally. But that wouldn't be enough to seriously threaten the Tigers, who owned the final quarter 12-11. (Ipswich's largest lead in the entire game would be 28 points, 49-21, in the third stanza on an Eric Severson basket in the paint.)

Ipswich obtained a balanced scoring effort, led by Severson and Kadlec with 15 points apiece. Kadlec's were all treys (five to be exact) and Severson even included a trey. Next was McQuarie with 13 points, followed by Thorson with 12 points. He also dished out six of Ipswich's 24 assists that evening.

Dylan Owens scored four points and Matt Hettich and Carson Gohl added two points each.

The visitors featured the game's leading scorer in the person of Spencer Fernholz with 25 points. But their further scoring tapered off to eight points from Trevor Werdel and five points each from Alex Schumacher and Kaden Danburg.

Ipswich shot 26-54 from the floor that included those six treys, but was only 5-11 in free throw tries. The Rustlers responded with a 14-42 floor-shot night with two treys and 13 free throws in 16 tries.

The Rustlers were out-rebounded by Ipswich 34-28, led by Thorson's seven. Severson was next with five. Ipswich had 16 turnovers. But Miller lost the ball 25 times, partly due to the Tigers' 13 steals.

Ipswich improved to 11-4 with the win and was next scheduled to host Lower Brule in the Tiger Den on Thursday, Feb. 11 in a girls/boys doubleheader. The Tiger boys will also visit Hitchcock-Tulare on February 16.