Boys remain undefeated; McCutcheon prevails in girls’ hoops match
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The Kokomo Wildkats and the visiting McCutcheon Mavericks battled in a co-ed double-header on Dec. 13. And each school went home with a win.
The boys' varsity contest saw Kokomo prevail, 84-67. The Kats won every quarter, slowly pushing their lead from a single point in the first, 16-15, and extending it in each frame.
Zion Bellamy led the charge for the Kats, dropping 30 on the Mavericks, including hitting five shots from beyond the arc on 10 tries. The scoring machine also managed five rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Senior A'Dayveon Young left his mark on the McCutcheon defense, blazing them for 21 points, and senior Max Feuerle put in a solid perfomance with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to go with a team-leading six assists and five steals.
The girls' half of the co-ed match-up didn't fall Kokomo's way. They lost 54-45. A cold start spelled disaster for the Lady Kats, as McCutcheon sprinted to 19-4 lead in the first quarter. Kokomo tried its best to keep the Mavericks within reach, bleeding another three points through the second and third quarters. As they entered the final stanza, the Kats trailed, 50-32
It appeared that the girls had finally found their stride and attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, but there simply wasn't enough time or enough accuracy to erase an 18-point deficit.
The Lady Kats had trouble finding the basket against McCutcheon, landing just 32 percent of their shots from the field. No player hit double digits in scoring on the night. The shooting woes followed the girls to the free throw line as well, where they connected on just 56 percent of their shots.
Seniors Makaela Drake and Avi Pollard led Kokomo with nine points each. Much of their frustration came from inaccuracy at long range. The duo was a combined 2-14 from three-point land.
Junior Eliana Stewart did manage success on the boards, bringing down 12 rebounds -- 10 of them defensively. She also blocked a pair of shots.
The boys went on to prevail against Lebanon on Sat., Dec. 14, extending their undefeated record to 5-0. They will test it against against Marion (4-1) in their opening game in North Central Conference competition on Fri., Dec. 20.
The girls took to the court again at Hamilton Heights on Dec. 17, winning that contest, 58-37, and improving their record to 8-3. They will join the boys in a co-ed varsity doubleheader against Marion.
These home games will be streamed at www.fastplaysports.com, with the broadcast beginning at 5:45 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium in downtown Kokomo.
See additional photos from both games, as well as a gallery featuring the KHS dance team, courtesy of Goad Sports Media, on the Lantern’s Facebook page and group.