YC boys can’t dig themselves out of hole

The Yates Center High boys basketball team wrapped up their week at the War on 54 tournament on Friday night with a loss to St. Paul, 62-29. The Wildcats have struggled as a team this season but head coach Lane Huffman did see glimpses of his team's play he believes can be useful.

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January 23, 2023 - 2:27 PM

Yates Center's Emmit George (14) looks for a pass in a War on 54 tournament game against Marmaton Valley on Thursday, January 19. Photo by Quinn Burkitt

The Yates Center High boys finished off a tough week at the War on 54 tournament with a 62-29 defeat to St. Paul on Friday night. 

The Wildcats (1-8; 0-2) struggled to possess the ball offensively and were hampered by turnovers.

Still, the Wildcats only trailed by nine at halftime before St. Paul turned on the jets in the second half.

“Tonight we just ran out of gas so I think we’ve got to be better conditioned moving forward as a team,” said Yates Center head coach Lane Huffman. “The first half against Cherryvale and the entire game against Marmaton Valley I saw a level of effort I haven’t seen before.”

St. Paul jumped out early when Trey Peters sank a couple two-point baskets and a three in the first quarter. Zakary Kirkpatrick also joined him in the first when he went for eight points to help the Indians stretch their advantage to seven points early. 

Emmett Brittain and Cash Cummings each stepped outside for threes in the first for Yates Center but it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats. 

The Wildcats continued to get production from Cummings in the second when he hit a pair of twos and Brittain went for another three. St. Paul, meanwhile, was aided in the second by Peters’ trio of three’s. 

Yates Center trailed at halftime, 29-20. 

But the Indians put together a 33-9 run in the second half to pull away.

The Wildcats’ main production came from Cummings and Brittain who each scored four points in the half. 

“We’ve seen what we can do when all five guys work together, and tonight we didn’t show that, but the previous two nights we saw glimpses,” said Huffman. “Right now we’re just trying to get in that mentality of the next guy up, I think sometimes we get too complacent.” 

Peters led St. Paul’s second half scoring charge by scoring 17 of his team’s 33 points. Kirkpatrick joined Peters in the second half by scoring seven while Kiser Wiatrak added on five points to contribute to a 62-point performance. 

The Wildcats were led offensively by Cummings 12 points while Emmit George and Brittain each registered six points. 

Yates Center traveled to Jayhawk-Linn Monday and will host Chetopa Tuesday before traveling to Northeast Friday.

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