MOUND CITY — The Marmaton Valley High School Wildcats took the court Monday night while participating in the Jayhawk Jamboree at Jayhawk Linn High School.
The night was a reintroduction to the Three Rivers League for the Wildcats, who didn’t have the numbers to field a team since the 2023-24 season.
The Wildcats held their own, including against a full court press by the Jayhawks.
“It was a good learning experience for us all,” said Hali Drake, who served as assistant coach while filling in for head coach Adam Borth.
“They learned a lot and have a lot to learn. With us not having a basketball team last year, it’s going to be a steep learning curve for us all.”
In the opener against Uniontown, the Wildcats briefly seemed out of their depth before settling in, then running their offense and defensive schemes.
Along with a new team and new coaches, the Wildcats also have players entirely new to basketball.
“I told our girls, ‘Go out, have fun and keep your head in the game,’” Drake said. “It let our freshmen know what it’s all about, and how different it’s going to be from junior high basketball. It helped us all out, including me.”
Another team looking for a turnaround this season is the Southern Coffey County Lady Titans. After a four-win campaign last season, SCC returns with a roster loaded with underclassmen, which Coach Jeff True sees as an opportunity to create a foundation for future success.
The Lady Titans struggled in the early goings, but then began to garner points as they strung plays together and got takeaways on defense to score in transition.
“The competition was good. Jayhawk is exceptional,” True said. “It’s going to take time to figure out what works best. I’m proud of the effort. The girls worked as hard as they could. It was just a lot of mistakes.”
IN BOYS action, the SCC Titans, unlike their female counterparts, are loaded with experience.
After a shaky start against Jayhawk-Linn, SCC showcased its depth through various matchups in the paint.
“We did some good things. Things we haven’t done in a while,” SCC coach Brian Rand said.
“It was nice to see some progress. I was impressed with what we had. We put in simple offense, which we can add to as the season goes along. Right now, we’re just in the basics.”
One of the most impressive teams Monday night was the Marmaton Valley Wildcats.
