YATES CENTER – Two-game winning streaks for both Altoona-Midway High School basketball teams came to an abrupt halt here Friday night as they were swept in a varsity doubleheader by the Yates Center Wildcats.
The Lady Wildcats opened the Three Rivers League twinbill with a 48-15 victory. The boys’ contest was much more competitive, but Yates Center pulled away late to post a 50-37 triumph.
Both Altoona-Midway squads now sport identical 5-11 overall records and stand 2-5 in TRL play.
AMHS returns to the hardwoods for a pair of games next week. They will stay on the road Tuesday, Feb. 3, traveling to Cherokee to face Southeast High School before returning home to meet Erie on Friday, Feb. 6.
AMHS BOYS
Altoona-Midway was right in the midst of things most of the game. The Jets trailed just 39-35 with under four minutes to play before Yates Center closed the game out on an 11-2 run to post the 50-37 victory.
“We got good effort all around tonight,” said AMHS head coach Dave Vance.
“We were right in the thick of things, trailing by four midway in the fourth quarter, but our main ball-handler, Taj Chism, fouled out at that point,” Vance noted. “We had serious problems against their press, and things got away from us down the stretch.”
“Still, we played well in spurts, and we had a chance at winning this game,” he continued. “Just too many turnovers (21) and too many missed free throws (8-for-25) kept us from ruining Yates Center’s homecoming.”
Chism’s three-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer gave the Jets a 9-6 lead, and he later threaded the needle for a nifty assist to Kage Beck, putting AMHS up 13-8. But Yates Center closed out the half on a 13-5 run to go up 21-18 and never trailed again.
The Wildcats scored the first eight points of the third period to make it 29-18, but the Jets refused to fold. A trey by Chance Mustain and a free throw by Beck got AMHS within 31-28, and it remained close until the final few minutes.
“Although it was disappointing to lose, we are definitely seeing consistent areas of improvement as a team,” Vance said. “Now we must prepare for a tough upcoming week.”
Beck finished with a game-high 17 points, while Chance Carter chipped in nine. Mustain and Chism netted five and three, respectively, while Zach Good added two and Kaden Sicka one to round out the Jet scoring.
Carter grabbed nine rebounds, Mustain had seven, and Beck and Chism five apiece.
Nine different players found the scoring column for Yates Center (9-7 overall, 4-3 TRL). Cook and Busteed led the balanced attack with 14 and 11, respectively.
AMHS GIRLS
In the girls’ contest, Yates Center (7-9, 3-4) had control throughout as the Lady Wildcats posted a 48-15 victory.
“The girls tried – I have no problems with their effort – but turnovers ate us up,” said Altoona-Midway coach Jessica Porter. “Our shots just wouldn’t fall either.”
The Lady Jets’ leading scorer, Jasa Pankaskie, canned a three-point shot early in the contest to give AMHS a 3-2 advantage. Unfortunately, those were the only points the visitors were able to muster the entire first half.
Yates Center pulled out to a 12-3 lead at the quarter and built it to 27-3 at intermission. AMHS claimed a narrow 6-5 advantage in the third period before the Lady Wildcats closed things out to win 48-15.
“We didn’t quit,” Porter said. “Everyone kept up their hustle, and we played better in the second half.”
Pankaskie finished with seven points to lead the Lady Jets. Brooklyn Collins chipped in four points, while Destiny Raymond and Keyleigh Clines finished with two apiece.
Cayton Cummings and Kinley Morrison paced the Yates Center attack with 12 and 11 points, respectively. McKynzee Burkholder netted eight points, all in the first half.