BUFFALO –St. Paul Middle School – firing on all cylinders – stormed into Milo Peterson Gymnasium and coasted to a 60-8 victory over the Altoona-Midway Jets here Monday afternoon.
“St. Paul had size, speed, and was very aggressive from the opening tip. We were
overmatched and never really found a rhythm,” said AMMS head coach David Batzer. “We did score the first points of the game on a perfectly executed inbounds play, and in a game like this, it’s the little things that count.”
The Indians raced to a 19-2 advantage after one period and increased that margin to 39-2 at halftime. It was 49-6 entering the final stanza before SPMS finished off the 60-8 triumph.
Altoona-Midway got two points each from Easton Matlock, Thaddeus Tindle, Xavier Poeverlein, and Jeffrey Nelsen.
Sawyer Born had 16 for the Indians to lead all scorers. Burke and Beachner tallied 11 apiece for the Indians.
“We only took two shots in the first half and 14 for the game, and that’s a trend we have to reverse if we want to get back in the win column,” Batzer said. “We also struggled with defensive assignments at times, and that’s on me as a coach to make sure the boys know where they need to be. We’ll address that this week in practice.
“The boys weren’t afraid to mix it up. They hustled and went toe-to-toe with St. Paul most of the night,” he added. “We just need to be less hesitant with the ball — that will help cut down on turnovers and create more consistency on the offensive end.”
Altoona-Midway (1-6) is scheduled to travel to Meadow View Middle School on Thursday.
“I’m hoping for a more competitive game on Thursday,” Batzer said. “The team was upbeat after the
game, and I know they’re eager to keep improving.”