Wallace boys add two more wins

The Wallace Wildcats picked up two more wins last week to bump their record to 4-0.

Sandhill/Thedford made the  trip to Wallace last Thursday to do battle with the Wildcats.

Early on, it looked as if the game might be a close one as the teams exchanged baskets in the opening quarter. Wallace had a slim 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter but really opened things up in the second quarter.

The Cats put on a 3-point shooting clinic in the second eight minutes, knocking down six 3-pointers. That spurred the Cats to a 30-14 halftime lead.

Wallace cooled off slightly in the third quarter, putting 12 points on the board. Defensively, they turned it up limiting the Knights to a single basket and one free throw.

Wallace started the final period with a 42-17 lead but the Knights went on a 10-point run before the Cats got back-to-back buckets. 

The Knights then put up 13 unanswered points to get within seven points of Wallace.

The Wildcats took care of the ball and forced Sandhills/Thedford to have to foul. The free throws fell and Wallace captured the win, 51-40.

Camden McConnell had another great night of shooting with 21 points. He also grabbed two rebounds and added five assists and four steals. 

Kolton Hager and Tertullian Nyamakope each added eight points. Hager also had two rebounds, two assists and one steal while Nyamakope added five rebounds, one assist and two steals. 

Ethan Bowlin and Alec Messersmith each scored six points. Bowlin added four rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block. Messersmith grabbed two rebounds and got two assists. Tanner Finley completed the team’s stats with two points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block.

Hi-Line

The Wildcats traveled to Eustis Saturday to take on the newly formed Hi-Line Bulls. Hi-Line consists of Eustis, Farnam and Elwood.

While Hi-Line team is comprised of quite a few seniors,  that did not intimidate the young Wildcats. 

The first half proved to be a dog fight with numerous lead changes. Just before the halftime buzzer, Messersmith buried a 3-pointer to send the Cats to the locker room with a 40-39 lead.

Wallace made a statement in the second half. Hager was in the midst of a great game and he didn’t cool off any during halftime. He put up the first 10 points for the Cats and they went on to take a 64-48 lead into the final period.

In the first 3 minutes of the period, Hi-Line outscored Wallace 11 to five to make it a 10-point game. The Cats didn’t panic and continued to play hard during the last 5 minutes of the game.

They won a hard-fought 80-67 win. Leading the way was Hager with 30 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal. McConnell and Alec Messersmith each contributed 13 points.

Nyamakope finished with eight points, Finley had seven, Bowlin 5 and Trey Robertson with four.

Wallace will host the Sutherland Sailors Thursday, Dec. 19 to complete the pre-Christmas schedule.

They will resume action in the Perkins County Booster Club tournament Dec. 27-28 in Grant.