HARTFORD — Marmaton Valley High opened its season with some high drama on the road Thursday.
The Wildcats erased a four-point deficit in the final minute, with the winning points coming on a steal and layup from Jaedon Granere with about 20 seconds left.
Host Hartford was able to get off a shot at the buzzer, but it was off the mark in the Wildcats’ 47-46 victory.
“It was a wild one,” Marmaton Valley head coach Cornell Walls said. “It was wild, but it was fun. With the first game, you never know what you’re gonna get. Now we’ve gotten a taste of how the season may go.”
It might go quite well if the Wildcats can continue to thrive, even without one of its main weapons.
Marmaton Valley saw one of its key players, senior Brayden Lawson, sidelined for much of the night due to foul trouble.
He picked up two quick fouls early in the first half, and then again when he returned to the court at halftime.
Lawson wound up fouling out without scoring a point.
“I thought the calls were a little iffy on a couple of them, but we’ve got to play through that,” Walls said.
Marmaton Valley received a boost from sophomore Dagan Barney, who only scored two minutes, but held his own against the Jaguar post players.
“Dagan did a great job in there, and it really gave us a lift. We played a great game defensively, but our offense struggled a little bit offensively, especially early,” Walls said.
The game was nip-and-tuck throughout.
Marmaton Valley held a 14-11 lead after one quarter before Hartford took a 27-26 lead into halftime. The game remained razer-thin after three as well, with the Jaguars still nursing a 37-36 advantage.
Hartford sophomore Coy Wilkinson, who had already scored 18 points through three quarters, continued his sterling play with a pair of field goals and free throws as Hartford pulled ahead, 46-40, in the waning moments.
Marmaton Valley’s Dominic Smith drilled a 3-pointer to slice the gap to one. Granere’s steal and layup followed, pushing the Wildcats ahead with about 20 seconds left.
