UNIONTOWN — The little things turned into big trouble for Yates Center High’s boys Tuesday.
The Wildcats battled toe-to-toe with host Uniontown for much of the night.
“But it felt like there was a minute or two in each quarter that Uniontown outplayed us,” Wildcat head coach Lane Huffman said.
That was all the Eagles needed to pull home a 50-41 victory.
“Effort was not an issue tonight,” Huffman said. “We played good defense throughout, and ran our offense to get the looks we wanted. But we couldn’t seem to bounce back from the short spurts of their hustle.
“We need to take care of the ball throughout the game,” he continued. “Our guys know each possession is important and can be the difference. We missed eight free throws as well.”
Freshman Ben Cook led Yates Center with 20 points, while classmate Gavin Busteed was next with nine. Senior Jarrett Birk chipped in with seven. Sophomore Evan McVey scored four.
“We preach focus and effort as our two pillars,” Huffman said. “Our effort is there. Now we need to work on the focus.”
Uniontown also prevailed, 53-19, in the girls game. No additional details were available.
The Wildcat squads are done for the 2024 portion of the 2024-25 schedule. They’ll be back in action Jan. 3 at Altoona-Midway.
