BUFFALO — After a spirited comeback erased a 12-point halftime deficit, Yates Center High’s Wildcats scored in the waning seconds to force overtime at Altoona-Midway Friday.
But Yates Center’s offense went cold in the overtime as Altoona-Midway outscored the Wildcats 11-3 in a 48-40 victory.
“Moving forward, we must improve defensively and stay in front of our man,” Yates Center head coach Lane Huffman said. “Offensively we just need to approach each possession with patience and confidence.”
Altoona-Midway took advantage with a 13-2 second-quarter run to lead 23-11 at the break.
“Early in the game, we had a lot of unforced turnovers,” Huffman said. “They played a zone, and we struggled to attack and make good passes. Shots weren’t falling at a high rate, and I expected that coming off the winter break.”
As the game progressed, Yates Center found gaps in the Buffalo defense and began to hit its shots.
A putback layup from Evan McVey sent the game into overtime.
Ben Cook and Gavin Busteed paced Yates Center with 18 and 10 points, respectively. McVey was next with eight. Jarrett Birk, Colton Burkholder and Marcus Cummings scored two points each.
Yates Center returns to action Tuesday at home against Chetopa.
