THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021
ALTOONA-MIDWAY MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL
BUFFALO – The Altoona-Midway Middle School boys’ basketball team broke into the win column here Thursday evening, clicking on all cylinders while posting a 35-18 victory over Oswego Middle School before an appreciative crowd at Milo Peterson Gymnasium.
The AMMS girls were also in action Thursday, but came up on the short end of a 38-8 score against the Lady Indians.
AMMS Boys
The Jets used tenacious defense and a strong rebounding performance to defeat Oswego 35-18 and pick up their first win of the season.
“I was so proud of this group tonight,” said AMMS head coach Craig Null. “We played really well on defense, hit the boards much better than the first two games, and offensively we made some mistakes, but we were aggressive and shared the ball well.”
Altoona-Midway led 7-3 at the quarter, 18-5 at halftime, and 29-10 after three periods.
“It was a total team effort,” Null said. “Blake Nalley and Chance Mustain didn’t score, but Blake hits the boards for us and Chance did a good job on defense.” Kody Foster led the offensive surge for the Jets, pouring in 20 points on the night. Taj O’Connor finished with nine points, Chance Carter chipped in four, and Kage Beck scored two.
The Jets enjoyed a huge 46-20 rebounding advantage, led by O’Connor with 16, Foster with 13, Beck with seven and Nalley with five.
The AMMS boys will host Liberty Home School on Monday at 5 p.m.
AMMS Girls
In the early game, the AMMS girls fell to 0-3 while the Lady Indians moved to 3-0 on the season as Oswego won 38-8.
“Our girls actually played much better than the final score would indicate,” said Null. “We played really well on defense, but lack of rebounding really hurt us. I think 16 of Oswego’s 24 points in the first half came on second- and third-chance opportunities.”
The Lady Indians led 10-2 after one period, 24-4 at halftime, 36-6 after three, and finished off the 38-8 victory.
Chantal Morales scored a basket in each quarter to account for all eight points for the Lady Jets. She also led AMMS with nine rebounds, while Sondra Morales and Eryn Tiger each pulled down eight, and Harmony McFarland grabbed four.
“For not having any subs, the girls played hard the entire game,” Null said. “I think it was their best game so far. They’re improving, and that’s all I can ask.”