YATES CENTER— The Yates Center Wildcats never led, and didn’t come close in Friday’s sub-state contest against Erie. The Red Devils proved to be too red-hot from the floor, winning 68-38 to move themselves one game away from the state tournament.
Yates Center head coach Jeremy Nevlille knew the task of taking down 18-4 Erie would be a tough one to tackle.
“Erie is a very good team, and they really guard you,” Neville said. “It is really tough with their length and quickness to get in the lane on them. We had some nice looks, but they just didn’t go down. They played really well, and it was tough for us to stop them.”
The Red Devils took an early 5-0 advantage before Sean Hurst connected from beyond the arc in front of the Erie bench two minutes in. Easton Reynolds scored YC’s only other field goal of the quarter as the Red Devils powered their way on a 9-0 run to end the quarter, leading the Wildcats 20-6 after the first period.
In the second, Hurst stringed together four straight points, but the Wildcats still trailed 27-11 three minutes into the second. Hurst finished as YC’s leading scorer in the first half with seven points, and the sophomore was one of the bright spots in the 30-point loss.
“Sean has done a wonderful job for us this season,” Neville said. “Over the course of the season he has gotten better, and better. He is a kid with a bright future and has been a big spark plug for us this year.”
Erie’s Eric Dillinger and Mark Bogner proved to be an unstoppable duo in the first half. The pair combined for 21 points as the Red Devils enjoyed a 34-19 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Wildcats failed to gain any ground. Erie outscored YC by 10 in the third period as the Wildcats failed to slow down the Red Devils attack. Erie continued to pour it on in the fourth, triggering the running clock with 2:30 remaining, and running away with the 68-38 victory.
“When they play good basketball, and they are smart/skilled, drive right or left, and finish over both shoulders, it is just really tough to guard,” Neville said. “They were really aggressive, and they made a lot of shots tonight.”
Counting the two playoff games, the Wildcats end the season with a 9-11 record. Although the Wildcats fielded a strong side in 2018-19, most of that team was seniors. With a squad lacking experience on the varsity floor this season, YC has nothing to hang their hat on.
“You’d like to win more games, and I think the boys feel that way too,” Neville said. “We realized that they gave their best effort, and they worked for some things. We had some really good memories and moments, but really it is about giving these seniors an ending they can feel proud of.”
BOX SCORE
Yates Center (6-13-11-8—38) (pts): Solander 11, Graham 6, Rice 3, Hurst 9, Smoot 5, Burton 4.
Erie (20-14-21-13—68) (pts): Whimp 2, Vail 2, Ewen 2, Bogner 18, Duling 2, Pasquarelli 10, Johnston 3, Dillinger 15, Lehman 9, Smith 1.
