The frigid cold weather blowing through Kansas this week may also have put a chill on Yates Center High’s offense.
The Wildcat boys struggled mightily to score points against Cherryvale Thursday in the semifinals of the War on 54 Tournament.
The Chargers led 16-9 after one quarter, 33-12 at halftime and 48-18 after three quarters on the way to a 50-24 victory.
“We were not ready to handle pressure tonight, nor did we come out ready to apply pressure,” Wildcat head coach Lane Huffman said. “Tournament weeks can bring out the best or the worst of teams, and Thursday night we did not bring our best.”
Yates Center was able to move the ball frequently, and often got open looks at the bucket, Huffman noted.
“But the shots wouldn’t fall,” he said. “The key is to make sure we do not sandwich those possessions in between turnovers. If we can consistently do our jobs on offense, the shots will begin to fall.”
Trouble was, those offensive issues bled over to the defensive end.
“Defensively this was one of our weaker performances,” Huffman said. “We will have to do a better job staying in front of the ball moving into the second half of our season.”
Ben Cook led Yates Center with eight points.
Bricen Raida’s 21 paced Cherryvale.
THE WILDCAT girls also struggled to get their offense in gear, in a 61-18 loss to Anderson County.
The Wildcats trailed 22-0 after the first quarter and 33-5 at the break.
Yates Center started to click a little better after the break, but not enough as Anderson County extended its lead to 53-12 by the end of the third quarter.
Mckynzee Burkholder scored nine to lead Yates Center. Brooklyn Kellerman’s 22-point night for the Bulldogs included four 3-pointers.
YATES CENTER wrapped up War on 54 Tournament play Friday, but those results were unavailable by press time.
The Wildcats will host Altoona-Midway Tuesday.
