Wildcat girls, boys basketball teams bring home victories

by Diane Stamm

Grant tribune-sentinel

The Wallace basketball teams’ week was busier than anyone could have predicted when the season began.

The Wildcats hosted Brady and Maxwell as planned, but also took a trip to Sutherland to make up a Dec. 15 postponement.

girls win three

Wallace’s girls team moved to 6-10 on the season with three-straight wins.

Head Coach Shawn Sullivan said it was a really good week putting together a win streak.

Wallace outscored Brady by 10 in the first quarter last Tuesday en route to a 51-37 win.

The Wildcats made 5-7 free throws in the third quarter, giving Wallace its best offensive output in the game, 19 points.

Karlie Finley scored 16 for Wallace and had 12 rebounds. Kaley Sauser added 13 points.

Wallace only had two field goals in the first quarter against Sutherland, but doubled its output in the second.

The Wildcats went to work from the free throw line in the second half, making 12-18, to ensure a 38-29 win.

Finley scored a team high 17 points and finished off a double-double with 16 rebounds.

Wallace held Maxwell to five second half field goals to break open a one-point game at halftime and take a 47-33 win.

Finley and Sauser had 13 and 11 points, respectively. Finley also had 14 rebounds and eight steals.

“The girls seemed to find groove and played well finding out the more we involve the posts the more shots everyone can get. We have a couple more tough games left before subdistricts so need to continue to improve and try to ride confidence into the post season,” Sullivan said.

Wallace went to Southwest Tuesday. The Roughriders are 12-6.

Friday the Wildcats will get a look at subdistrict opponent Hitchcock County. The Falcon girls are 4-15.

Girls subdistricts will begin Monday. Wauneta-Palisade currently leads the subdistrict in the point standings, but also has games with Cheylin, Kansas (1-13) and Maywood/Hayes Center (19-1) remaining on its schedule, while Medicine Valley, which beat the Broncos last week, has three games against teams with losing records remaining.

Sullivan said regular season losses to Hitchcock County and Dundy County Stratton have put Wallace in a tough spot with subdistrict seeding.

Boys go 2-1

The Wildcats claimed a 10-point victory over Brady Jan. 31, 59-49.

Head Coach Eric Miller said both teams shot well and Wallace handled Brady’s press well.  

“We were a lot more patient and disciplined on offense the second half.  We started attacking the basket better, which I think was the difference in the game,” Miller said.

Four Wildcats finished in double figures, led by Trey Robertson with 19 points. Riley Strawder scored 14 points and Kyler Flaming and Matt Lungrin each scored 11 points. Strawder had nine rebounds.

Wallace added another win Thursday at Sutherland, 53-35.

Miller credited Wallace’s pressure for creating turnovers and getting early points.

“Sutherland played good defense, so we struggled at times in the half court.  We were able to get the ball inside pretty well, which helped us in the second half,” Miller added.

Robertson led Wallace in scoring once more, finishing with 22 points. Flaming scored 11 points, all in the first half, and Strawder scored 10. Robertson had nine rebounds and Lungrin nine steals.

The Wildcats only defeat of the week was a 43-55 loss to Maxwell, a rematch of a Jan. 27 RPAC game.

Lungrin hit five first half 3s, helping Wallace to a 28-26 halftime lead. Maxwell’s defense kept the Wildcats on their heels in the second half. Robertson scored all nine of Wallace’s fourth quarter points.

Lungrin scored a team-high 17 points and Robertson scored 15.

In a girls/boys doubleheader, the Wildcats played at Southwest (5-11) Tuesday.

Another doubleheader is on tap for Friday against Hitchcock County (11-7).

Wallace’s boys will play Creek Valley (2-14) Feb. 17 before their postseason begins.