MELVERN – Just what the doctor ordered.
The Altoona-Midway High School basketball teams swept Southern Coffey County here Friday, as both varsity Jet squads picked up their respective first wins of the season in the final round of the Valley Tip Off Classic.
The Lady Jets came from behind in the second half and registered a 28-24 win over SCC, and the AMHS boys followed suit in the nightcap, racing past the Titans 52-33.
Collecting the pair of victories on Friday was sweet music to the ears of the Altoona-Midway faithful, as Thursday’s action in the midround of the Tip Off Classic was not nearly as friendly to AMHS. In those matchups, Hartford won the boys’ game 68-27 and the girls’ contest 64-15.
Both Altoona-Midway teams are now 1-4 on the year.
Jet squads still have a busy schedule leading up to Christmas break, as the slate for this upcoming week includes another three games. AMHS has a pair of home doubleheaders Monday, Dec. 15 (versus Liberty Homeschool Alliance) and Tuesday, Dec. 16 (against Pleasanton), as well as a road trip to Central Heights on Friday, Dec. 19, to close out first-semester action.
AMHS BOYS vs. SCC Altoona-Midway found its way into the win column for the first time this season with an impressive 52-33 win over Southern Coffey County on Friday.
“The boys jumped on them from the start and played pretty well throughout the game,” said Altoona-Midway coach Dave Vance. “It was really nice to be able to empty the bench the final five minutes.”
The Jets led just 13-8 after one period, but a massive 22-4 second quarter spurt gave AMHS a commanding 35-12 halftime advantage. The lead was 48-24 after three periods, allowing the Jets to play reserves much of the final stanza.
Vance said full-court pressure by the Jets was the key to the tremendous second-quarter surge.
“We really found our energy in the second quarter by using a full-court press – something we had not tried yet this season,” Vance exclaimed. “All of the guys did a good job playing their positions, and Kage Beck gathered a lot of steals by intercepting passes.”
AMHS GIRLS vs. SCC The Lady Jets roared back in the second half to post their 28-24 victory over Southern Coffey County in Saturday’s tournament finale for both teams.
AMHS got off to a cold start, falling behind 7-0 after one period. The Lady Jets closed the gap to 13-7 at halftime, and then used a tremendous 15-4 advantage in the third period to go up 22-17. The fourth quarter played out fairly even, as SCC could only shave one point off that margin as Altoona-Midway closed out the 28-24 triumph.
“What a game! I was proud of the girls for the way they rallied, and very happy for them to pick up a win,” said AMHS girls’ coach Jessica Porter.
“In the second half we came out and pressed, and that really woke us up and helped our game,” Porter noted. “We played with a lot of energy.”
After being blanked in the opening quarter, Keyleigh Clines helped get the Lady Jets rolling with five points in the second quarter. In the game-deciding third quarter, Mika Parsons fired in seven points and Brooklynn Collins chipped in four.
