MONDAY, Jan. 10, 2022
ALTOONA-MIDWAY MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL
BUFFALO – The Altoona-Midway Middle School basketball teams gave the home fans their money’s worth here Monday evening, splitting a pair of games with St. Paul Middle School in two hotly-contested contests at Milo Peterson Gymnasium.
In the opener, St. Paul pulled away late to post an 18-9 win over the Lady Jets. AMMS squared things in the nightcap, holding on for a 28-25 victory.
Both AMMS squads will be in action again Thursday, when they travel to Meadowview Middle School. The action is slated to tip off at 4 p.m.
AMMS Boys
Altoona-Midway took the lead early in the third quarter and held on for dear life for two frantic quarters, escaping with a 28-25 victory.
“We only had five boys suited up and every one of them played a significant role in this victory,” said AMMS coach Craig Null. “Taj (O’Connor) did most of the scoring for us, but the other guys did a great job of getting him the ball, and everyone played fantastic on defense. It was a great win.” O’Connor used his height advantage to pour in a game-high 22 points to lead the Jets. Kage Beck scored four points and Chance Carter added two.
“Taj was awesome, as was Kage, who had a great floor game at point guard,” Null said. “Chance had several assists, Blake (Nalley) hit the boards hard, and Chance Mustain came up with some big steals.”
Bree Norris and Devin Vogel tallied nine points apiece for St. Paul.
AMMS evened its record at 3-3 and has now won three of its last four games.
AMMS Girls
The Lady Jets, still seeking their first win on the season, trailed only 8-6 at halftime, but managed just three points after intermission as St. Paul slowly pulled away to post the 18-9 victory.
“Once again, depth played a factor, as our five girls had to play the entire contest without a break,” said Null. “We were right in the game for the first half, and still trailed just 12-6 going into the fourth quarter. We just couldn’t find enough offense.
“But all five of the girls gave it everything they had,” Null said. “I’m proud of all of them.”
Eryn Tiger led the Lady Jets with four points, while Chantal Morales netted three points and Sondra Morales chipped in two.
Kaydra Mathis fired in 11 points for St. Paul.
The Lady Jets fell to 0-5 on the season.