Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022
ALTOONA-MIDWAY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
BUFFALO – Tuesday marked the final home date for Altoona-Midway’s 2021-22 season, and the Lady Jets made sure it was memorable.
The Lady Jets used a big fourth quarter to notch a 37-32 victory over Yates Center before the home fans at Milo Peterson Gymnasium. It marked the third win of the season for the AMHS girls, who earlier this season snapped a 188-game regular season losing streak.
The final home court appearance for the AMHS boys was not as pleasant, as Yates Center posted a 50-34 triumph over the Jets in the nightcap.
The Lady Jets (3-14, 2-6) have a make-up road game with Chetopa slated for Thursday of this week, while both Altoona-Midway squads will travel to Mound City on Friday to wrap up regular season play against Jayhawk-Linn.
AMHS Girls
The Lady Jets (3-14 overall, 2-6 in Three Rivers League play) outscored Yates Center 15-8 in the final period to erase a two-point deficit and secure the 37-32 win.
“Energy-wise, we had been in a bit of a ‘two-game slump,’ but our team was back tonight,” said AMHS head coach Randy Almond. “The girls came out and played with the level of energy and intensity required to compete and win.”
Trailing by two with just over five minutes remaining, the Lady Jets rattled off eight unanswered points to turn the tide. After receiving a nice assist from Kyra O’Connor, Mariah Stackhouse completed an old-fashioned three-point play to give AMHS a 27-26 lead. Summer Raymond hit a bucket and O’Connor then drained a trey to make it 32-26.
The Lady Wildcats managed to get within three without two minutes remaining, but Raymond fed Emmalynn Pupanek for a key basket and Stackhouse and Pupanek finished off the game with free throws to ice the victory.
“I know I probably say it after every game, but I’m very proud of my girls,” Almond said. “We only had six players, but the way they battled with heart in the fourth quarter when they were extremely tired was something special.
“Ava (Hufford) and Summer played shut down defense for us, as did Kyra, who also pulled down several defensive rebounds,” Almond added. “Mariah poured in 21 points, including 7-of-11 from the line, and Emmalynn did a great job and had a season-high nine points tonight.
In addition to the offensive efforts from Stackhouse and Pupanek, the Lady Jets also got five points from O’Connor and two from Summer Raymond.
“Autumn Raymond came off the bench ready to play,” Almond continued. “Her aggressive play ended in her fouling out, but that last foul kept Yates Center from an easy basket in the final minute of play.
“I just wanted to add that (Assistant) Coach Lea (Chickadonz) never gets the credit she deserves, but she is a vital part of our success as well,” Almond said.
AMHS Boys
The AMHS boys (5-13 overall, 3-5 in league) simply couldn’t get anything going against the Wildcats in their 50-34 TRL loss.
Tonight showed us that our focus and energy has to be high to start a game,” said Jets head coach Lane Huffman. “We did not come out ready to play, and Yates Center is a well-coached team that executes on a high level. They make you pay when you make mistakes.”
The slow start saw the Jets fall behind 19-5 after the first quarter and 33-13 at halftime.
“Lack of effort on defense, paired with our high amount of turnovers, doomed us in the first half,” Huffman explained. “We started out very slow. Our defense did not rotate quick enough to stop drives, and we failed to box out. They got a lot of layups to start the game, we were down 11 very quickly.
“We did win the second half, as Jackson Ashmore anchored the offense scoring 19 of our second half points. He did a much better job getting to the rim, and making good decisions.”
Ashmore finished with a game-high 22 points, but no other Jet reached double figures. William Stackhouse tallied five points, Jacob Meigs and Andy Tiger scored four apiece, and Dalton Smith added two.
On a positive note, the AMHS junior varsity squad continued its winning ways, topping Yates Center 31-22 in a two-quarter contest. Stackhouse led the Jet jayvee with 10 points while Kieran Foster garnered six. Blaine Collins added five, Zeek Roby and Harley Lopeman netted four apiece, and Meigs scored two.
“This is a fun group to watch,” Huffman said. “Their full-court pressure defense is amazing. They make the other team uncomfortable for the entire game. The future is bright for our basketball program.”