BARTLETT – So close.
Trailing by just one point, the Altoona-Midway Middle School boys got the ball near the vicinity of the rim several times in the closing seconds here Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Jets, none of the attempts found their mark, and as a result, the Bartlett Braves escaped with a thrilling 20-19 victory in Mineral Belt League action.
“What an intense game and a heartbreaking loss. We came back twice and had two free throws and a couple of good looks to win in at the end, but couldn’t get any of them to fall,” noted AMMS head coach David Batzer. “The boys showed a lot of heart and never gave up. “Still, it was a fun game to be a part of, especially for the fans,” Batzer added. “It was a tough loss for sure but we’ll come away with some lessons learned and be an even better team when we hit the court again in January.” Bartlett jumped out to an early 8-2 lead after one period and led 12-6 at the half. But the Jets surged in the third period, closing the gap to 13-12 to set up an exciting fourth quarter in which AMMS had a short-lived lead.
“I really thought when we finally took the lead in the second half we were going to be able to
keep it, but they went on a run of their own to go up by four with 22 seconds left,” Batzer explained. “Then Zach Good hit a big 3 to pull us within one. We got fouled with about five seconds left but couldn’t hit our free throws. We got two rebounds off the last miss but just couldn’t get it to fall. The opportunity was there.”
Chance Carter was the big gun for Altoona-Midway, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds, and a stellar defensive effort, including four blocks. In addition to Good’s dramatic three-pointer, the Jets also got three points from Chance Mustain and a pair of free throws from CJ Johnson.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to CJ. He scored his first-ever points in a game with two
free throws in the second quarter. I’m really proud of him! There’s always a silver lining,” Batzer said. The coach also shouldered the blame for the Jets’ slow start.
“This one really falls on my shoulders,” Batzer lamented. “For the fourth time in four tries, we
came out flat in the first quarter. As a coach, I’ve got to find a way to have us better prepared to
start the game strong. That’s going to be our focus over break.”
Altoona-Midway, 0-4 on the young season, will take some time off for the holidays. The Jets
resume play on January 4 at Thayer.