YATES CENTER—It started ugly and got uglier as the game went on for the Wildcats of Yates Center High Friday night as the boys’ basketball team was trounced 65-24 by arch-rival Humboldt High Cubs.
The Cubs got off to a hot start on offensive, outscoring the Wildcats 25-5 and knocking down all three of their three-pointers in the first period.
“We shot the ball extremely well in the first quarter and I think (the Wildcats) were kind of shell shocked,” said David Taylor, Cubs head coach.
Down 20, the Wildcats didn’t roll over though as they battled the Cubs in a second-period seesaw contest. Still, the Cubs expanded their lead by halftime to 24 points.
Taylor said good ball movement — the Cubs had 16 assists — gave his team separation and open looks.
“We played really unselfish,” he said. “We talked last week about playing for each other and you could really see it tonight.”
The Cubs shot 29 of 52 from the field.
Not satisfied with the 40-16 lead, the Cubs performed in the third quarter much like they did in the first. The Wildcats found themselves down by 40 points entering the final period of play.
With a running clock throughout the fourth period and the Cubs backups in, both teams combined for just three points in the fourth.
“It was fun to watch them play,” Taylor said.
Leading the Cubs to the 41-point victory was Tanner McNutt with 20 points and Noah Thornbrugh chipped in 15 of his own. Thornbrugh led the team with seven rebounds and four blocks. Nathan Whitcomb and Trey Johnson each had five assists for Humboldt.
The Wildcats were led by Austin McNett and Sam Aguirre with eight points each.
Humboldt also dominated in junior varsity and C-team action, beating the Wildcats 60-42 and 46-18.
Humboldt (25-15-23-2—65) (FG/3-pt): Vanatta 0-0-2-0, McNutt 8/1-1-1-20, Murrow 3-0-0-6, Whitcomb 3-2-1-8, Crawford 4/1-0-0-11, Johnson 0/1-0-3-3, Osborne 0-0-1-0, Rutledge 1-0-2-2, Thornbrugh 7-1-2-15. TOTALS: 26/3-4-12-65.
Yates Center (5-11-7-1—24): Cooper 0-0-2-0, Aguirre 4-0-2-8, Francis 1/1-0-0-5, Rice 0-0-2-0, McNett 4-0-2-8, Dice 0-1-0-1, Arnold 0-1-0-1, Rossillion 0-1-1-1. TOTALS: 9/1-3-9-24.
