YATES CENTER — After what head coach Jason Weilert described as “typical first-game jitters” plagued Yates Center High’s boys early, they got down to business in the second quarter.
Leading only 6-4 after one period against visiting Eureka High, the Wildcats began to settle down in the second. A 24-11 run propelled the Wildcats to a 58-39 win.
“They really bottled us up early,” Weilert said of Eureka’s tenacious defense. “We got on a little run in the second quarter and were able to make some shots.”
The Wildcats turned their 30-15 halftime advantage into a 44-23 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Paul Stockebrand and Jake Morrison shared high-scoring honors for the Wildcats with 16 points apiece. Dalton Smith added 12, while Sam Aguirre pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Hunter Moore paced Eureka with 11 points.
Eureka won the junior varsity contest 32-15. Trevor Chism and Robert Arnold each had five points for Yates Center.
Yates Center opens its preseason tournament Tuesday at home against West Elk.
Eureka (4-11-8-16—39) (FG/3-pt): Moore 3/1-2-4-11, Spore 1/1-0-3-5, Hayes 0-0-3-0, Barrett 2/1-0-4-7, Williams 2-0-4-4, Kuhn 3-0-0-6, Holcomb 1-2-3-4, Gabriel 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 13/3-4-21-39.
Yates Center (6-24-14-14—58) (FG/3-pt): Morrison 4/1-3-2-16, McNett 1-0-0-2, Knoblock 0-0-4-0, Aguirre 2-0-1-4, Francis 2-4-1-8, Stockebrand 7-2-2-16, Rice 0-0-2-0, Smith 5-2-1-12. TOTALS: 22/1-11-13-58.
Yates Center boys open with a win
