Harley Lopeman Rebounds

       Wednesday, Feb. 3 2022

ALTOONA-MIDWAY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

         ST. PAUL – One game was lopsided, the other game was a nail-biter, but in the end, St. Paul High School came away with both victories when Altoona-Midway rolled into town for a Three Rivers League doubleheader here Tuesday night.

         The Indians squeezed out a 47-45 win in the boys’ nightcap, after St. Paul opened the evening with a 56-16 triumph over the Lady Jets.

         The AMHS boys fell to 3-11 overall and 2-4 in the TRL, while the Lady Jets now stand 1-4 in league play and 2-11 overall. Both squads will travel to Arma on Friday to square off against Northeast High School.

         AMHS Boys

         St. Paul got a put back basket by Norris with 12 seconds remaining for the 47-45 victory in the nip-and-tuck boys’ contest. The Jets tied the game at 45-all on a basket in the paint by Andy Tiger with three minutes remaining, but then came up empty on their final four possessions.

         “The last 30 seconds sealed our fate really,” said AMHS head coach Lane Huffman. “We didn’t box out and they got a put back, and then we turned the ball over on the next play. We did have a shot at the end, but St Paul sniffed it out well and blocked the shot. 

Still, tonight was a fun game to coach,” Huffman added. “I thought both teams matched up well, and the final score showed. I won’t question the effort of our guys, they left it all out there.”

         St. Paul led 14-13 at the quarter, and the teams were deadlocked at 26 at the break. The Indians led 38-35 entering the fourth quarter and an early trey put the lead at six, 41-35.

         But back-to-back three-pointers by Jacob Meigs and Jackson Ashmore tied the game at 41-all, and it was anyone’s game for the final five minutes.

“Our biggest downfall tonight was execution. We didn’t move the ball well or fast enough to challenge the St Paul defense,” Huffman said. “Jackson made some jump shots, but we have to be more efficient moving forward.”

Ashmore finished with 22 points, Meigs tallied seven, and Dalton Smith and Andy Tiger each netted five. William Stackhouse added three points to round out the scoring for AMHS.

“This is disappointing, as we felt confident going in. We can only move forward and try to get back to winning,” Huffman said.

 

AMHS Girls

St. Paul’s girls’ squad had too many weapons for the Lady Jets, who were playing without their leading scorer, Mariah Stackhouse, who suffered at injury midway in the game last Friday.

“St. Paul is a tough team. They are talented and very aggressive,” noted Lady Jets head coach Randy Almond. “Once again, the girls gave their all. The refs even commented about that.”

The Lady Indians stormed to a 20-4 lead after one period of play and held a 31-7 advantage at halftime. The lead ballooned to 47-9 entering the final period, and St. Paul won 56-16.

“Being without Mariah hurt us,” Almond said. “We missed her offense and her overall court presence. Ava Hufford took control and drove to the basket, drawing a lot of fouls. She was our leading scorer at halftime.”

Hufford scored all five of her points in the first two periods. The Lady Jets other 11 points came from Summer Raymond, who scored nine points after intermission.

“We need to lower our turnovers, work on blocking out and breaking the press,” Almond added.

         Ten different girls reached the scoring column for St. Paul, led by Albertini with 13 points.