YATES CENTER — A promising start was unraveling before their eyes.
Yates Center High’s boys, who had held visiting Cherryvale scoreless through the first quarter and led 15-0 at one point, had seen its advantage disappear entirely in the early moments of the fourth quarter.
A pair of free throws by the Chargers’ Carson Ellis had put Cherryvale in front for the first time all night against the exhausted Yates Center squad.
In years past, the disappointment likely would have spelled doom for the Wildcats’ chances.
But that was then.
This time around, Yates Center freshman Ben Cook took over down the stretch, scoring 11 of his game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter, while also pulling in a series of critical steals on defense. Cook also delivered the decisive free throws to give the Wildcats the lead for good with 24 seconds remaining.
But even then, the Wildcats couldn’t exhale until a desperation three-quarters-court 3-pointer from Cherryvale’s Wyatt Duncan bounced off the front of the rim just before the buzzer sounded in Yates Center’s 39-36 win.
The victory, in the first round of the Wildcat Winter Classic, moves Yates Center to the championship semifinals to take on Eureka at about 8 p.m. Thursday.
Yates Center’s girls had a tougher go of it, falling to Cherryvale, 57-9.
DEFENSE was the key for Yates Center’s boys, head coach Lane Huffman said.
“We played defense probably with more intensity tonight than we’ve played in the three years I’ve been here,” Huffman said.
The Wildcats’ swarming pressure kept Cherryvale off its stride through much of the first half.
Meanwhile, five Wildcats scored baskets in the first quarter as Yates Center emerged with a 13-0 advantage. The margin grew to 15-0 to start the second period before the Wildcats began to tire.
Cherryvale slowly cut into the gap, pulling to within 19-10 before Cook ended the half with a steal and layup to make it 21-10.
But the Wildcats could not maintain its momentum into the third quarter. The Chargers scored the first six points of the period. Jeremiah Jones gave Yates Center a spark with a 3-pointer, but the Chargers responded with a 7-0 run to end the quarter.
