by Brian Turrel
The gym was packed, the crowd was loud, and the band was rocking when the Schlagle and Wyandotte High School boys basketball teams met at Wyandotte on Friday night. The home team came back from a 10-point deficit to win the game and move into first place in the Kansas City-Atchison League, ahead of the Stallions, who were rated second in the state in the most recent Kansas coaches’ poll.
Both teams applied pressure defense effectively from the start and throughout the game, using backcourt traps to slow and disrupt the other team’s ball handling. Schlagle was able to poach a few Wyandotte inbounds passes for easy points, and the Stallions built a ten point lead midway through the second quarter.
The Bulldogs made a comeback late in the second quarter, sending Diamond Hines straight to the rim where he collected fouls from the Schlagle defenders. Hines converted all six of his free throws in the quarter, and Wyandotte went to the halftime break down by only one point, 27-26.
Wyandotte attacked from the right wing in the third quarter, picking up three-pointers from Hines and Walzel Evans, and they held a 43-38 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Schlagle’s Tyon Grant-Foster, unsuccessful from the three-point line for most of the night, picked up his inside attack in the fourth quarter, collecting seven points on made baskets and free throws. Schlagle pulled within two with three minutes remaining, but got no closer.
Hines led the Bulldogs with 28 points in the game, and Evans picked up 17, including 15 in the second half. Grant-Foster led the Stallions with 17 points, and D’Monte Gaw added 14.
Wyandotte’s win puts the Bulldogs atop the KCAL standings at 4-0 (6-5 overall). They will play at Atchison on Feb. 2. Schlagle is a half-game behind at 4-1 (11-4 overall). The Stallions will play next at Harmon on Feb. 6.
