BUFFALO – The home fans were treated to a pair of games with exciting, down-to-thewire finishes here Tuesday in the opening round of the fourth annual Captain Milburn G. Apt Memorial Tournament.
Unfortunately, the host Altoona-Midway High School squads came up just short against Liberty Homeschool Alliance in both of those thrillers, which capped off first-round action of the classic at Milo Peterson Gymnasium.
Liberty scored with 12 seconds remaining to squeeze out a 45-44 triumph in the boys’ contest, while the Lady Arrows survived a pair of three-point attempts in the final 10 seconds to escape with a 31-28 win over the Lady Jets.
In first-round contests earlier in the evening, Southern Coffey County and Chetopa split decisions. Chetopa posted a 29-18 win in the girls’ game, while SCC boys defeated the Hornets 35-27.
The Apt Memorial Tournament is scheduled to continue its round-robin format with four more games both Thursday and Friday, Jan. 22-23. All games are slated for Milo Peterson Gymnasium.
AMHS BOYS
Jud Stockebrand scored the final seven points of the contest, including a drive in the lane with 12 seconds left, to rally Liberty Homeschool Alliance to a thrilling 45-44 win in the nightcap.
Prior to Stockebrand’s heroics, Altoona-Midway (3-10) led most of the way, including 44-38 with 3:18 remaining after a trey by Chance Carter.
“This was a very competitive well played basketball game. We came up one bucket short, but not due to lack of effort,” said AMHS coach Dave Vance. “We did a great job, passing, cutting, setting picks, and moving the bodies around along with the ball.
“Just one made basket here or there, a couple of free throws, another rebound or two. We were right there, but just not able to snatch the victory from the jaws of defeat,” Vance added.
Kage Beck canned a pair of three-pointers in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to expand the Jets’ lead to 39-30, but LHA staged the big comeback to pull out the win.
“Overall, this is probably one of the better games we played this year,” Vance said. “We actually had 11 assists to 10 turnovers, and I’m pretty sure that’s the first time this season we have had more assists than turnovers.
“We’re disappointed that we couldn’t hold on in the final moments,” Vance said. “But the guys did a fantastic job tonight. If we can continue to play with this effort and teamwork, this will be a good sign for the rest of the season.”
Beck led the Jets with 16 points, while Chance Mustain also reached double figures with 10. Carter netted seven points and Taj Chism six for AMHS, while Nolan Lampe and Zach Good added three and two, respectively.
Mustain, Chism, and Carter all grabbed six rebounds. Chism dished out four assists while Carter added three.
Altoona-Midway led 10-6 at the quarter, 18-14 at halftime, and 33-30 entering the wild fourth quarter.
Jud Stockebrand led LHA with 15 points, while Bahnsen notched 12 points and Jub Stockebrand chipped in 11.
AMHS GIRLS
In the earlier contest, the AMHS Lady Jets (3-10) staged a furious fourth quarter rally that came up just short, but not before getting off a pair of threepoint attempts that could have tied the game in the closing moments.
Trailing 31-28, sophomore Keyleigh Clines launched an open trey with 10 seconds remaining that just rimmed off. The Lady Jets got the rebound and called timeout. Clines’ next attempt at the buzzer drew contact from a Liberty defender, but not enough to draw a whistle.
“Man, this was a nail-biter,” said AMHS coach Jessica Porter. “We thought there could have easily been a foul called on Keyleigh’s last shot – but there wasn’t, and that’s the way things go sometimes.
“But the main thing is, the girls fought hard and tried their best,” Porter said. “Ava Tindle had the best game she’s ever had for us. She finally posted up and shot the ball. She also got some big rebounds, too.”
Despite the loss, the Lady Jets showed great improvement, having lost 48-12 to Liberty Homeschool back in December.
“We’ve improved a bunch since then,” Porter noted. “Everyone played extremely well, and if we keep this energy, I’m hoping we’ll have some more wins soon.”
Liberty led 29-19 in the final period and 31-23 with about 3:00 remaining before AMHS staged a big rally to set up the thrilling finish.
Tindle poured in five points down the stretch to key the surge, while Brooklynn Collins and Jasa Pankaskie each added buckets.
Pankaskie led the Lady Jets with 13 points before fouling out. Tindle finished with nine points, while Cline and Collins chipped in three points each.
Hardy had 15 and Matthew 13 for the Lady Arrows.
