MORAN — What began as a bang Friday night — when the Marmaton Valley High boys raced out to an 8-2 lead against the visiting Uniontown Eagles — ended in a whimper when Wildcats, after a battery of turnovers and a long spell of hesitant offense, finished the night on the wrong side of a 54-40 spread.
The game throughout, even as the margin widened in the second half, provided the crowd with an interesting battle of the bigs inside.
On Marmaton Valley’s side: 6-3 junior Brady Newman used his angular frame to snake by his counterparts in the post to score on a series of easy lay-ups. Drawing from a different toolkit entirely, Uniontown’s 6-4 sophomore Garrett Elder turned his broad shoulders to his team’s advantage as he cleared space by dipping his head and ramming the required number of tenderly-built freshmen Wildcats out of his way until he was able to get off his preferred soft bank shot from the right block.
The comparative giants panted up and down the court all night, each player their team’s leading scorer. While Newman bested Elder on the scorecard — tallying 18 to the underclassman’s 15 — the night’s spoils were Garrett Elder’s, as his team headed back to Uniontown with another win.
In the end, according to Marmaton Valley head coach Tim Stinnett, the Wildcats’ extreme youth was the stitch in his team’s side. “Same story, different night. We’re still young. I think there at the end we were just a little scared, a little like deer in the headlight.”
It’s impossible to watch the young Marmaton Valley team without appreciating their grit, and it’s a facet of their game that Stinnett is keen to emphasize. “They definitely play hard. That’s what I keep telling them: I would rather lose and play good then win and play bad.”
The Wildcats’ next leading scorer was freshman guard Justice Pugh with eight. Followed by Gage Adams, junior, with six.
Uniontown’s David Bradbury also contributed 10 points to the Eagles’ victory.
Marmaton Valley plays Northeast Arma at home on Tuesday.
Wildcats fall to Uniontown 54-40
