YATES CENTER — A familiar pattern befell Yates Center High Friday.
The Wildcats struggled mightily from the field, going scoreless in the first quarter.
And while Sedan wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire in the early going, the Blue Devils still were able to forge a 22-6 halftime lead.
Yates Center righted its ship after the break, but still fell short, 57-24, in the final round of the Wildcat Winter Classic.
“That’s been the story,” Yates Center head coach Lane Huffman said. “We’re struggling to score the ball, particularly in the first quarter. And then they started knocking down shots. That’s gonna win you games.”
Kaiden Rutherford gave Yates Center a spark in the second quarter, including a nifty score on an inbound play in which he bounced the ball off the back of a Sedan defender, caught the deflection and laid in the bucket.
The junior led Yates Center with 12 points.
Huffman noted Rutherford hadn’t played organized basketball the past couple of years.
“He’s going to do some big things after he gets more comfortable.”
Devereaux Sarchet followed with nine for the Wildcats.
Carson Ellis scored 21 and Stetson Hempel-Schafer 15 for the Chargers.
Yates Center hosts Jayhawk-Linn on Friday.
Cherryvale (9-13-19-16—57)
FG/3pt FT F TP
Schafer 4/2 1 1 15
Fox 3 2 3 8
