ARMA – It’s always a pleasant feeling to pick up a victory on an opponent’s home court – but it’s even more satisfying when that road victory spoils an adversary's Homecoming festivities.
The Altoona-Midway boys’ basketball team did just that here Friday. The Jets overcame a poor shooting night with a suffocating defensive effort as the upended Northeast High School 40-35 in a Three Rivers League battle.
The Lady Jets were not as fortunate, despite generating a much more energetic performance than their past few outings. The Northeast girls posted a 51-21 decision in the first varsity tilt of the evening.
AMHS will finish out the final leg of their three-game road trip on Tuesday, Feb. 6, traveling to Leroy for a varsity doubleheader against Southern Coffey County. The Jets will be back home Friday, Feb. 9 to host Marmaton Valley.
AMHS BOYS
Altoona-Midway managed only four points in the opening quarter and had only six points with under two minutes left in the half, but the Jets used a tremendous defensive effort throughout the night to pull out a hard-fought 40-35 victory.
Trailing 11-6 late in the second period, AMHS got a fastbreak layup and buzzer-beating trey by William Stackhouse to knot the score at 11-11 at halftime. Both teams warmed up somewhat in the final two periods, and while the Jets connected on just 4-of-10 free throw attempts in the final minute, it was enough for Altoona-Midway to hang on.
“The cardiac kid strike again,” chuckled AMHS head coach Dave Vance. “I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but I know a couple of coaches that are too old for these close games … but it is a lot of fun.
“Overall, our defense tonight was excellent,” Vance continued. “We are not winning pretty, but we are winning. And winning ugly does involve some good defense. We try to keep improving every game, and I believe we are making progress in that regard.”
The Vikings appeared headed for victory when they scored 10 unanswered points to build a 23-15 lead midway in the third quarter. But the Jets responded with a 13-0 run of their own and led 28-26 entering the final stanza.
Defense again dominated much of the fourth quarter. A basket and a free throw by Jacob Meigs gave AMHS a 36-29 lead with just under a minute remaining. But the Vikings turned turnovers into two quick buckets to close within 36-33 with 30 seconds left.
The Jets led a parade to the free throw line from that point on and connected on just enough charities to post the win. Meigs and Kieran Foster each swished a free throw in the final seconds and Stackhouse hit a pair with eight ticks left to complete the scoring.
“We couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn for most of the first half, but our offense came to life in the third quarter, putting 17 points on the board,” Vance said. “Our free throw shooting (11-of-26) left a lot to be desired and our three-point game was way off as well (3-of-14). But our defense was excellent and we hit the boards really hard.
“We had more turnovers than we would like, but overall we were really looking to share the ball and feed the cutters, and that’s a positive,” the coach added. “Kieran Foster’s shot was off tonight, but he had four assists and could have had several more if we had made some easy buckets.”
Stackhouse led the Jets with 20 points and 15 rebounds while Meigs added 13 points and 11 caroms. Foster finished with four points, Kage Beck netted two while Blaine Collins added one point and seven rebounds.
The victory propelled AMHS into double digits in the win column for the year. The Jets improved their overall mark to 10-6, and stand an impressive 5-3 in Three Rivers League play.
AMHS GIRLS
Northeast High School came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and rolled to a 51-21 victory in the girls’ contest.
But while Altoona-Midway’s offensive woes continued to pose problems, especially in the first half – it was the positive response and energy exhibited by the Lady Jets that pleased head coach Jessica Porter.
“The score didn’t reflect it, but I was pleased with the way we played tonight,” Porter said. “We gave 100 percent on energy, effort, and had a good attitude. We hustled and left it all on the court, and that’s all you can ask from your team.”
The Lady Vikings jumped out 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and led 22-4 at intermission. But the Lady Jets found some offensive punch after halftime, staying within 13-11 in the third quarter and winning the first half of the fourth quarter.
“Our second half was great,” Porter noted. “I was very encouraged by the way the girls responded tonight.”
Emmalynn Pupanek led Altoona-Midway with nine points, while Ava Hufford chipped in six. Ava Tindle, Summer Raymond and Chantal Morales scored two points each.
Brooklyn Jackson and Destiny Hagan led a balanced Northeast attack with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Jaycee Maples tallied nine points and Ciara Neville added eight for the victors.
The Lady Jets fell to 0-7 in Three Rivers League play and now stand 3-12 in all contests.
The Northeast girls also posted a 37-4 victory in a two-quarter junior varsity game. Jasa Pankaskie scored all four points for AMHS.