MORAN — The Marmaton Valley girls middle school basketball A-team jumped on Yates Center early during Monday night’s game in Moran, but Yates Center was able to right the ship with a dominant second half to earn a 19-8 road victory.
Marmaton Valley’s Kamryn Boyd scored the only basket of the first quarter for either team and Marmaton Valley held a 2-0 lead after the opening quarter.
Boyd and Kaylee Becker each added baskets in the second quarter to extend the Marmaton Valley lead to 6-2 at halftime. Yates Center’s basket came from Madelyn Proper.
“We were really stagnant in the first half,” Yates Center coach Rex McVey said. “We looked like in was our first game and had that deer in the headlights look.”
Whatever McVey told his team in the halftime locker room paid big dividends for Yates Center as they outscored Marmaton Valley 17-2 after the intermission.“When they pressured us, we didn’t attack back,” Marmaton Valley coach Terra Kegler said.
Seventh-grader Morgan Collins led the second-half surge for Yates Center with nine points. Classmate Jacelyn Catron scored five to support the cause.
“In the second half, our pressure got to them and we created some turnovers,” McVey said. “We also got a lot more aggressive.”
Yates Center’s Addie Solander finished the game with two points and Liberty Cavender added one.
Marmaton Valley’s Kendall Scharff scored her team’s only two second-half points.
GIRLS’ B-GAME
Marmaton Valley’s girls’ B-team was able to double-up the Yates Center B-team on Monday in Moran with a 24-12 win.
“I was happy with our girls,” Kegler said. “Everyone came in and fought hard. We were aggressive on the offensive end.”
Rebecca Reiter was able to use her speed from the point guard position to lead Marmaton Valley with 10 points.
Marmaton Valley’s Kamryn Boyd and Madison Lawson each scored six, while Cadience Cook chipped in a pair of points.
Yates Center was paced by sixth-grader Molly Proper with eight points with Grace Westerman and Hannah Vining each adding two points.
“We had a lot of sixth graders on the floor and it was good experience for them,” McVey said.
GIRLS’ C-GAME
In an abbreviated C-game, Yates Center beat Marmaton Valley 4-2.
The team’s only played one half and used a running clock as a way to get some inexperienced players some time on the court.
“The girls got in there and tried,” Kegler said. “It was good experience for them.”
Yates Center’s Aryian Lawson and Marmaton Valley’s Bailey LaRue each scored in the first quarter.
The game-winning basket came in the second quarter from Yates Center seventh-grader Heather Heslop.
“It was one of those efforts where you didn’t know quite what would happen,” McVey said.
BOYS A-GAME
The Yates Center boys’ A-team dominated their first middle school game of the season against Marmaton Valley on Monday evening in Moran.
Yates Center used a very balanced offense to earn the 45-24 victory with three players in double figures.
“We are aleways happy with the ‘W.’ It was nice to see some of those guys that have been maturing through the program the last few years have a really good game,” Yates Center coach Ben Weihn said.
Easton Reynolds and Kendrick Jones each scored 12 points while Kaden Petit finished with 11.
“Petit had a great game from the point guard position,” Weihn said. “He had some nice passes and a couple steals. He came to play tonight.”
Blake Audiss and Austin Moffett each scored four points for the victors with Tyler Green scoring the team’s other two.
Marmaton Valley was led by Curtis Harris with 11 points.
“We just need to get more consistent,” Marmaton Valley coach Mike McEwan said.
Deacon Perkins and Wesley Lowder each added four points while William Lowder scored two and Garrett Henderson had one.
BOYS B-GAME
Yates Center’s B-team was just as dominate with a 41-20 win over Marmaton Valley on Monday.
“We wanted to extend our zone defense, put a lot of ball pressure on and jump passing lanes,” Weihn said. “I thought those guys did a great job of intercepting basses and getting buckets on the other end.”
Blake Audiss scored ten points to pace Yates Center. Carter Burton narrowly missed out on double figures by scoring nine.
Yates Center also had strong games from Mark Bacca, Tyler Green and Zeno Jimenez. Each of that trio had six points.
Owen Forsyth and Collin Randall each scored two points for the winning side.
Marmaton Valley’s Thomas McDowell led the home team’s effort with nine points, while Jarrett Herrmann had seven and Dylan Drake had four.
“We just need to get more experience,” McEwan said.
BOYS’ C-TEAM
Yates Center’s C-team cruised to an 18-2 win over Marmaton Valley in an abbreviated contest.
Yates Center’s Canon Cavender scored eight points in the game. Emmett Brittain scored four points and Shane Weber, Cash Cummings and Caleb Hegwald each had two points.
Evan Kent scored Marmaton Valley’s only two points.
