MORAN—Marmaton Valley High’s basketball teams split the homecoming doubleheader against Pleasanton High’s Blu-Jays here Friday night. After the Wildcat girls fell in the early game 51-40, the Wildcat boys salvaged the evening with a 63-32 win over the Blu-Jays.
The 2-17 Wildcat girls and the 7-12 Wildcat boys head to Lebo Tuesday to take on the Wolves.
Friday’s match against the Blu-Jays started as planned for the Wildcat girls as both teams traded points early. But late in the first period, Pleasanton opened up a seven-point lead and took a 18-11 advantages into the second period.
Foul trouble put Wildcat-standout Kacie Shadden on the bench early — the junior guard had three in the first quarter — and had her playing cautious the rest of the match, said Kent Houk, head coach of the Wildcat girls.
“That hurt us on the offensive end,” he said.
The Blu-Jays led 28-19 at the break.
Both teams battled throughout the second but the nine-point deficit the Wildcats started with proved to be too much, and they never managed to cut the gap to less than six points.
Kailey Boyd set the pace for all players with 21 points in the loss. Blu-Jays Conner Marshall and Autumn Secrest led Pleasanton offensively with 13 points each.
In boys action, the Wildcats and Blu-Jays matched each other’s offensive production in the first and were tied 13 all at the end of one.
From then on, it was all Marmaton Valley. With a press defense, the Wildcats made things difficult on Pleasanton and held them to just two points in the period.
The 15-point lead Marmaton Valley opened the second half with hemorrhaged to 31 by game’s end.
Wildcat boys’ head coach Denny Lasley said ball control led to the blowout.
“At the beginning of the year we had 32 turnovers. Tonight we only had seven,” he said. “That makes a big difference.”
Marmaton Valley’s Zach Louk led all scorers with 22 points, six coming off the three-point shot. Cole Becker had 16 points and a team-high four rebounds.
Blu-Jay Mason Coffman had a team-high eight points.
