YATES CENTER — After a dominating individual performance by Yates Center junior guard Cayten Cummings, it took a team effort to finally bring down Central Heights Monday 41-35.
Despite Cummings carrying the load for much of the night with a team-leading 21 points, fourth-quarter scores by sophomore forward McKynzee Burkholder and senior guard Kinley Morrison kept the Vikings at bay as Yates Center held on for the win.
“We just had to play hard and rebound. Mackenzie Moon was their shooter and hit a couple of threes and we had to get in her face,” Yates Center coach Eric Busteed said. “We had to close out and stay calm when we had the ball. They executed down the stretch and I’m proud of them.”
Cummings and Morrison got the Wildcats going while combining for a trio of field goals. Cummings stayed hot in the second quarter with eight more points, along with buckets by junior guard Jaylinn Birk and Burkholder to end the first half ahead 19-7.
“I was getting good passes from my teammates, which allowed me to stay in the middle of the lane and go up,” Cummings said. “It was all my teammates. We had the lead. If I kept my composure and did what we needed to do then it would all work out in the end.”
Yates Center’s 12-point cushion did not last long. Central Heights ended the third quarter on a 17-11 run, then added eight more in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats eventually clamped down on defense, which required a bit of aggression in the paint to prevent second-chance opportunities for Central Heights.
“We were scrambling to do everything and boxing out,” Burkholder said. “We just had to do better, have some good possessions and try harder.”
Following Cummings’s 21-point performance, Burkholder scored eight, followed by Morrison with six and Birk with five. The win improves the Wildcats’ record to 8-11 and 5-6 overall in Three Rivers League play. They step away from TRL action Thursday for a road game against Marais Des Cygnes Valley. Yates Center hosts Chetopa for senior night.
Sophomore guard McKynzee Burkholder hits a shot late in the fourth quarter.
With just a few contests left against Marais Des Cygnes Valley, Chetopa and Crest, Coach Busteed hopes their upcoming opponents will prepare them for the tough road at the upcoming regional tournament.
“We’re looking forward to seeing in the next few weeks if we can make a run,” Busteed said. “Anytime you can play good competition, it makes you better. I’m just challenging my girls that, win, lose or draw, we’re going to fight.”
