Cougars too much for Wildcats

Wellman-Union suffered an unfortunate 32-63 Klondike loss Tuesday night that didn’t have to be that way, according to their still-ambitious coach.

Head Coach JoeBob Ussery attributed missed baskets to his team’s latest defeat.

"We missed a lot of open shots that were makeable,” he said.

The ‘Cats’ deficit steadily grew to 4-13 at the end of the first quarter, 11-28 at halftime and 25-44 going into the fourth.
Scorers included Martin Loewen 4-0 2-2 10, Luis Gonzales 1-1 7, Kirk Martin 2-0 2-4 6, Kirby Bailey 2-0 0-2 4 and Braden Caldwell 1-0 1-4 3.

About a third of the way into their district season, the as-yet-winless Wildcats, though, are far from ready to give up. In fact, the latest loss reminded them to follow through with their offensive plans and keep shooting.

"We need to work on execution of our plays and we need to keep working on fundamentals,” Ussery said.
The Lady ‘Cats suffered a smaller Klondike loss earlier that evening, at 20-33. 

They scored only once the entire first half, going into the second 3-15 but coming back quickly in the third quarter to land two layups and some free throws in a single possession. They managed to cut the Lady Cougars’ advantage to a narrow 17-13 at one point, but were back down by double digits the last five minutes of the game.

"The girls were cold and couldn’t find the basket in the first half,” said Head Coach Todd Ellis. "We played good defense, but couldn’t score. It is frustrating, but we will continue to keep trying to get better.”

Sierra Wheatley and Tori Browne contributed six points each for the Lady Wildcats. The team is now 2-4 in district and 4-13 overall. 

The Wildcats and Lady ‘Cats will be on the road Friday to face O’Donnell, then back home next Tuesday against Borden County.