WENATCHEE — Earlier in the season, West Valley beat Wenatchee boys basketball by 22 points. But Friday night, with more games under their belt, fresh off their first league wins against Eisenhower, which snapped a six-game losing streak, the Panthers had a little more confidence.
While the improvement showed, the Rams managed to hold onto a 52 to 49 win.
The Rams have been performing well, earning a 22nd WIAA state ranking, and are third in the Big 9, just after Davis and Sunnyside. Despite this, Wenatchee got out early.
The Rams' defense made drives difficult, Wenatchee had to be patient, and work the ball around the perimeter. But when the Panthers got near the basket, they drew fouls almost every time.
Knocking down free throws was the life force of the first quarter, and they led it by two 13-11.
The Rams kept it close by forcing turnovers and converting on quick transitions, but Wenatchee had the hot hand of Thomas McCarthy in the second quarter, who knocked down three three-pointers.
“We just kept giving it to him,” Wenatchee Head Coach Robin Kansky said.
That catapulted Wenatchee into a 13-4 run, bolstered by two key steals from Zach Noyd to stretch their lead at half 30-16.
“Our defense was great in the first half,” Kansky said. “We’re getting better, we just have to keep working at it. We’re improving every day”
Things shifted in the second half. Their 14-point lead dwindled, only able to get a couple of shots in the third quarter. The Rams went to their freshman postman Parker Mills. The Panthers kept the ball out of his hands through the first half but struggled in the second.
Mills made 16 of his 18 points in the second half. McCarthy led Wenatchee with 15 points, and Rivers Cook followed with 12. Jackson Bishop chipped in nine.
For West Valley, Mills led with 18 points, followed by 12 from Landen Birley.
Wenatchee’s record is now 1-6 in league play.
Wenatchee hosts Moses Lake on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Rand Stevens: (509) 664-7157
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Thank you.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Ends: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
