MOUND CITY – Down seven points in the fourth quarter of their regular season finale – in
a game that had no bearing on sub-state seedings or league standings – an ordinary team
might often throw in the towel and hope to regroup for the playoffs.
But this year’s Altoona-Midway High School boys’ basketball squad is no ordinary team.
The Jets – facing that exact situation on the road here Friday night – instead rose to the
challenge and pulled victory out of the fire, rallying for a dramatic 40-35 Three Rivers
League triumph over Jayhawk-Linn High School.
Altoona-Midway closed out the regular season winning six in a row and 9 of their last 11,
finished 14-6 overall and 8-3 in TRL action, earning the Jets a third-place finish in the 11-
team league.
In girls’ varsity action Friday, the Lady Jayhawks posted a 54-15 victory over Altoona-
Midway.
The AMHS girls wind up the regular season 5-15 overall and 2-9 in the TRL. Class 1A-II Sub-State The Lady Jets are seeded fourth and will get to host a home game for the first round of their Class 1A-II Sub-State. Altoona-Midway (5-15) will host fifth-seed Southern Coffey County (2-15) at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at Milo Peterson Gymnasium. The winner of that contest will square off against top-seed Marais Des Cygnes (11-9) at. 6 p.m. Friday, March 1, at St. Paul.
The second girls’ semifinal will pit St. Paul (8-12) against the winner of Chetopa (0-16) and
Waverly (6-14). On the boys’ side, AMHS (14-6) earned the top seed in their Class 1A-Division II sub-state and will have a first-round bye.
The Jets will play on Thursday, Feb. 29, at St. Paul, but game time will depend on the
winner of a first-round matchup between St. Paul (2-18) and Marais Des Cygnes Valley (3-
17). If MDCV is the opponent, the Jets will tipoff at 6 p.m. Feb. 29. A matchup against St. Paul
will mean a 7:30 start. The other boys’ semifinal will be second-seed Marmaton Valley (8-11) versus the winner between Waverly (6-14) and Southern Coffey County (0-18). Sub-state finals will be held Saturday, March 2, at St. Paul, with the boys’ game at 5 p.m. and the girls’ contest at 6:30.
AMHS BOYS
Struggling with cold shooting from the field most of the night, Altoona-Midway used strong
defense and a fourth-quarter rally to post a 40-35 come-from-behind win over Jayhawk-
Linn. The Jets (14-6, 8-3) closed the season on a six-game winning streak and are 12-3 since a 2-3 start to the season.
“Tonight we played like an Oreo cookie with no filling in the middle,” joked AMHS head
coach Dave Vance. “We scored 14 points in the first quarter, then only five points in each of
the second and third quarters.
“Luckily we came back with 16 points in the fourth quarter, and by hitting our free throws
late, managed to gain a five-point victory over a very well-coached Jayhawk Linn team that
played a really good game.” Indeed, Jayhawk-Linn head coach Lynn Barr noted, “that might have been the best game we’ve played all year.”
Trailing by seven in the final period, the Jets battled back within three, 35-32, and then
scored the final eight points of the game. William Stackhouse hit an old-fashioned “and
one” to knot the game at 35-all, and then Altoona-Midway tallied the deciding five points of
the contest from the charity stripe.
Blaine Collins hit a pair of clutch free throws to give AMHS a 37-35 lead, and then in the
final seconds Stackhouse made one and Kieran Foster swished two to close out the dramatic
comeback.
“We were fortunate to hit free throws to ice the game at the end, as we only shot 38 percent
on our two-point field goals, managed to make just 1-of-14 from beyond the arc, and had 13
turnovers,” Vance noted.
Stackhouse led the Jets with 17 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, while Jacob Meigs
netted 13 points and four rebounds despite being saddled with foul trouble. Foster scored
just five points while Lane Poeverlein and Collins had two apiece, but all nine of those
points came during the fourth-quarter rally. Joey Lamendola had a free throw to round out
the scoring.
Jayhawk-Linn placed two players in double figures, as Jacen Taylor notched 13 points and
Bryton Spencer chipped in 11. “We have managed to win quite a few close games this season (the Jets were 6-0 in games decided by five points or less), and I believe that shows a great deal of character from our players,” Vance said. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
“I am very proud of the way these boys have grown throughout the season, and now we
would like to finish strong in the postseason.”
In a two-quarter junior varsity tilt, Jayhawk-Linn managed a 15-13 victory. Taj Chism
tallied eight, Kage Beck three, and Poeverlein two for the Jets.
AMHS GIRLS
The Jayhawk-Linn Lady Jayhawks, with several tall players on their roster, used that height
to their advantage and rolled to a 54-15 victory over Altoona-Midway in the girls’ contest.
“We knew this team was going to be tough,” noted AMHS head coach Jessica Porter. “Their
starters are huge and they have tall girls coming in off the bench as well.
“It was like David and Goliath out there,” Porter chuckled. “But our girls hung in there and
never gave up all the way to the end.”
The Lady Jets finish the regular season 2-9 in TRL play and 5-15 overall (the most wins by
an AMHS girls’ squad since 2011). Jayhawk-Linn will enter the postseason in Class 2A with a
16-4 overall mark.
Despite the final score, Altoona-Midway hung tough early. Getting a pair of baskets by
Emmalynn Pupanek and three free throws by Ava Hufford, the Lady Jets trailed just 12-7
late in the first quarter. Unfortunately, AMHS would not add to that point total until netting eight points in the final period. Jayhawk-Linn tallied 33 unanswered points and pulled away to lead 32-7 at halftime and 45-7 after three periods.
“We played a good first quarter and a good fourth quarter,” said Porter. “We struggled with
turnovers, but we have improved a lot and for the most part we were able to break their
press.” Pupanek finished with a team-high seven points for AMHS while Hufford collected five
points. The Lady Jets also got a fourth-quarter trey from Summer Raymond.
Jayhawk-Linn was led by the sister combo of senior Brooklyn Bogan and sophomore
Brenlyn Bogan, who netted 15 and 12 points, respectively. Brea Dawson chipped in 10
points for the Lady Jayhawks.
JLHS also posted a 36-13 victory in the two-quarter jayvee game. Despite the setback,
Altoona-Midway freshman Jasa Pankaskie stole the show, canning three baskets from
behind the arc in the final quarter. Pankaskie’s nine points led AMHS while Brooklynn
Collins and Mika Parsons added two points each.