Bluestreaks edge out Wildcat girls

YATES CENTER — An untimely dry spell on offense did in Yates Center High’s girls Tuesday.
The Wildcats, who put together what their head coach called their best basketball of the season earlier in the game, went cold in the fourth quarter as visiting Neodesha High turned a nine-point deficit into a 38-36 win.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 1-3 on the season.
“A game like this was good for us,” Yates Center head coach Abbie Collins said. “We just couldn’t do anything offensively in the fourth quarter.”
Yates Center held the lead for much of the game but lost its momentum in the third quarter.
The Wildcats began misfiring from outside, and their passes inside were hampered by Bluestreak defenders.
Things became more complicated for the Wildcats when Cherokee Shaffer left the game briefly in the third quarter after a Bluestreak player fell on her. Autumn Douglas was shaken up moments later after tangling with another Neodesha player but remained in the game.
Those plays were part of an 18-5 Bluestreak run to give Neodesha the lead.
“Cherokee really makes our defense go, and we missed her,” Collins said.
A 31-29 Wildcat lead evaporated with under three minutes left when Neodesha scored consecutive buckets, while Yates Center went only 2 of 5 from the free-throw line.
Neodesha led 37-33 with 1:35 left when the Wildcats’ Autumn Douglas hit a jumper from the free-throw line.
The Bluestreaks missed their next field goal attempt, but Yates Center could not corral the rebound. Neodesha’s Jordan Wheeler went 1 of 2 from the line.
Yates Center missed consecutive three-point attempts before Shaffer hit 1 of 2 free throws to cut the margin to 38-36 with under 10 seconds left.
Neodesha’s Lindsey Harper missed a free throw with 1.9 seconds left, but the Wildcats were unable to get off an attempt before the buzzer sounded.
 Douglas led the Wildcats with 10 points. Shaffer had nine points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
Yates Center led 24-19 at the break and 28-19 early in the third quarter before Neodesha’s big run.
Yates Center wraps up its pre-Christmas schedule on Friday at Caney Valley.
Neodesha (13-6-6-13—38) (FG/3-pt): Schoonover 0-0-3-0, Ivey 0-0-2-0, Wheeler 5/1-1-0-14, Harper 2-0-0-4, Farmer 0-0-1-0, Noeller 5-2-4-12, Littau 4-0-5-8. TOTALS 16/1-3-15-38.
Yates Center (16-8-7-5—36): Hartwig 0-1-2-1, Spencer 2-0-2-4, Baker 3-0-1-6, Douglas 3-4-2-10, Shaffer 3-3-2-9, Estes 2-2-2-6. TOTALS: 13-10-11-36.