YATES CENTER — Yates Center High was clicking on all cylinders to start Friday’s home tilt with Jayhawk-Linn.
“We played exactly how we wanted,” head coach Lane Hufman said. “I couldn’t be more proud of that first quarter. We were patient on the offensive end, moved quickly on the defensive side, and it helped that we knocked down some jumpers.”
The Wildcats led 15-11 after the period.
But an offensive lull, exacerbated by foul trouble, spelled doom in the second period.
The Jayhawks outscored Yates Center 14-2 to take the lead for good in a 59-33 win.
The loss keeps Yates Center winless, with another game on Tuesday at home against Uniontown before Christmas break begins.
“Scoring two points in a quarter is a recipe for disaster,” Huffman said. “Getting outscored by 12 dug a hole we weren’t able to get out of.”
Yates Center battled valiantly after intermission, “but we were too far behind to make a real comeback,” Huffman said. “Our guys battled, and we relied on our bench a lot. Foul trouble starting in the second quarter kept a few guys from ever getting back into the rhythm we had in the first.”
Kaiden Rutherford paced Yates Center with 12 points, followed by Devereaux Sarchet with 11. Tristan Ballin and Evan McVey added five points apiece.
Yates Center’s junior varsity dropped a 64-17 decision. Jeremiah Jones scored six and McVey five for the Wildcat JV.
JAYHAWK-LINN also prevailed, 50-17, in the girls matchup. The Jayhawks scored the game’s first 17 points and didn’t look back to pick up the Three Rivers League victory.
Individual statistics were unavailable.
