YATES CENTER — The Yates Center High boys was upended by Cherryvale at home on Friday, 57-31.
Yates Center (1-3) was hurt by their poor shooting from the floor and their inability to halt Cherryvale’s top scorers.
Cherryvale’s Chargers jumped out to a 17-6 lead by the end of the first quarter, led by Stetson Schafer’s pair of three’s and Brock Robertson’s pair of two-pointers.
“We had a slow start again, which put us in a position that was difficult to fight back from,” said Yates Center head coach Lane Huffman. “Cherryvale has a great offensive team, and we struggled to stay in front.”
To start the game, Emmett George put up a couple layups for Yates Center, four of the only six opening quarter points for the Wildcats.
In the second quarter, Yates Center’s Cash Cummings rolled in a couple of layups while Shane Weber, Jayston Rice and George each put up layups to get the Wildcats to 16 points at half.
Cherryvale was led in the second quarter by Devonta Grief, Schafer and Robertson’s six points apiece. Yates Center trailed Cherryvale at halftime, 31-16.
“Slow rotation on the defensive side and failing to get rebounds on both ends is what kept us from getting back in the game,” Huffman said. “We gave up too many second chances, and didn’t give ourselves any second looks at the basket.”
The Wildcats’ Cummings was the only player to score in the third quarter, a three-pointer and a pair of two’s for seven points.
Schafer led Cherryvale in the third when he dropped in a pair of two-pointers.
The Chargers then outscored the Wildcats in the fourth quarter, 15-8. Cherryvale’s Briggham Knight and Gage Putman scored a basket apiece and Schafer scored a two-pointer and a free throw in the fourth.
Cummings paced the Yates Center offensive attack in the fourth quarter after he knocked down a three and a two-pointer while George hit a two-pointer and a layup.
Cherryvale won, 57-31.
“Despite a 1-3 start, I’m confident our guys will be ready for league play,” said Huffman. “We have four days to prepare for Jayhawk-Linn, then we head into Christmas break. We have to focus on our goals as well as dig a little deeper in the effort category.”
Yates Center was led offensively by Cummings 18 points and George’s nine points. Cummings was able to bury a pair of three-pointers and six two’s while George hit four two-pointers and a free throw.
