MELVERN – Just what the doctor ordered.
The Altoona-Midway High School basketball teams swept Southern Coffey County here Friday, as both varsity Jet squads picked up their respective first wins of the season in the final round of the Valley Tip Off Classic.
The Lady Jets came from behind in the second half and registered a 28-24 win over SCC, and the AMHS boys followed suit in the nightcap, racing past the Titans 52-33.
Collecting the pair of victories on Friday was sweet music to the ears of the Altoona-Midway faithful, as Thursday’s action in the mid-round of the Tip Off Classic was not nearly as friendly to AMHS. In those matchups, Hartford won the boys’ game 68-27 and the girls’ contest 64-15.
Both Altoona-Midway teams are now 1-4 on the year.
Jet squads still have a busy schedule leading up to Christmas break, as the slate for this upcoming week includes another three games. AMHS has a pair of home doubleheaders Monday, Dec. 15 (versus Liberty Homeschool Alliance) and Tuesday, Dec. 16 (against Pleasanton), as well as a road trip to Central Heights on Friday, Dec. 19, to close out first-semester action.
AMHS BOYS vs. SCC
Altoona-Midway found its way into the win column for the first time this season with an impressive 52-33 win over Southern Coffey County on Friday.
“The boys jumped on them from the start and played pretty well throughout the game,” said Altoona-Midway coach Dave Vance. “It was really nice to be able to empty the bench the final five minutes.”
The Jets led just 13-8 after one period, but a massive 22-4 second quarter spurt gave AMHS a commanding 35-12 halftime advantage. The lead was 48-24 after three periods, allowing the Jets to play reserves much of the final stanza.
Vance said full-court pressure by the Jets was the key to the tremendous second-quarter surge.
“We really found our energy in the second quarter by using a full-court press – something we had not tried yet this season,” Vance exclaimed. “All of the guys did a good job playing their positions, and Kage Beck gathered a lot of steals by intercepting passes.”
Chance Mustain also came up big for the Jets in the game-turning second quarter, as the sophomore totaled 13 points in the period, including nailing three shots from behind the arc.
Follow sophomore Chance Carter was steady throughout and finished with a game-high 17 points, including 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Mustain, who finished 4-of-5 from behind the arc, tallied 16 and the senior Beck rattled the nets for 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting from two-point range.
Taj Chism also added a trey in the second quarter, and Kaden Sicka rounded out the scoring with a bucket. Carter led the Jets with 10 rebounds, Beck grabbed 11 steals and dished out six assists, and Chism recorded two blocks.
Boling led Southern Coffey County with 13 points.
“It was very nice to get a win under our belts, and it’s always a good feeling when everyone gets playing minutes,” Vance said. “Now we have another busy week coming up, starting with Liberty (Homeschool Alliance) on Monday.”
AMHS Boys vs. Hartford
Thursday was a different story, as the talented Jaguars manhandled the Jets 68-27. On the bright side, it was a slight improvement from the season opener, when Hartford registered a 78-20 victory.
The Jags left no doubt early, racing to a 31-5 lead at the quarter and 48-12 at halftime.
“Hartford’s three-quarter press was once again way more than we could handle,” Vance noted. “We did do a little better (than the season opener), but we were hoping to improve much more than this.”
“We have got to learn to get the ball up court with teamwork and everybody working together,” Vance said. “A few players really stood out for their determination and hustle – Chance Mustain, Kage Beck, Chance Carter, and even Nolan Lampe and Caden Sicka were diving on the floor for loose balls.”
Beck paced the Jets with 15 points, while Carter chipped in nine and Mustain added three.
Wilkinson poured in 29 points for Hartford and Schultz added 18.
AMHS GIRLS vs. SCC
The Lady Jets roared back in the second half to post their 28-24 victory over Southern Coffey County in Saturday’s tournament finale for both teams.
AMHS got off to a cold start, falling behind 7-0 after one period. The Lady Jets closed the gap to 13-7 at halftime, and then used a tremendous 15-4 advantage in the third period to go up 22-17. The fourth quarter played out fairly even, as SCC could only shave one point off that margin as Altoona-Midway closed out the 28-24 triumph.
“What a game! I was proud of the girls for the way they rallied, and very happy for them to pick up a win,” said AMHS girls’ coach Jessica Porter.
“In the second half we came out and pressed, and that really woke us up and helped our game,” Porter noted. “We played with a lot of energy.”
After being blanked in the opening quarter, Keyleigh Clines helped get the Lady Jets rolling with five points in the second quarter. In the game-deciding third quarter, Mika Parsons fired in seven points and Brooklynn Collins chipped in four.
Ironically, Parsons and Clines each did all of their scoring in one period, as the duo finished with seven and five points, respectively. Collins added a key bucket in the fourth quarter and finished with six points.
Destiny Raymond tossed in four points, all in the second half, while Peyton Drake and Ava Tindle each added important baskets after intermission. Rounding out the scoring was Jasa Pankaskie, who canned a pair of free throws in the second quarter.
Unofficially, the Lady Jets finished with 22 steals as a team, led by Clines and Raymond with five each and Collins with four. Tindle was credited with a team-high six rebounds.
Garretson led the Lady Titans with 11 points.
“I’m very proud of the way we played,” Porter said. “I saw a lot of potential tonight. We just have to learn how to execute on a consistent basis.”
LADY JETS vs. Hartford
On Thursday, it was no contest as the AMHS girls squared off against a talented Hartford unit for the second time this season. The Lady Jaguars rolled to a 64-15 victory.
Hartford sophomore Lauryn Finnerty was incredible, pouring in 45 points to go along with seven rebounds and 14 steals. In the season opener against the Lady Jets, the super-soph tallied 31 points and 17 steals.
The Lady Jaguars were ahead 22-0 at the quarter, 44-3 at halftime, and 64-10 after three periods. The Lady Jets did manage the final five points of the game in the fourth stanza.
“Obviously, Hartford has a tremendous team and Finnerty is simply outstanding,” Porter said. “We didn’t take care of the ball the first half, and just didn’t play well. We did turn it around in the second half and played much better.”
Pankaskie canned a pair of treys and finished with a game-high eight points for the Lady Jets. Collins, Raymond and Tindle netted two points each and Parsons added a free throw.