BUFFALO – It wasn’t the result Altoona-Midway Middle School wanted on the scoreboard, but it was the effort they wanted on the court.
The Meadow View Falcons came to AMMS on Thursday and flew home with a 47-9 victory, but Coach David Batzer saw what he described as “a 100 percent improvement in the effort department” from the Jets’ previous outing.
“Coach Swiler and I really challenged the team to do the little things like diving for loose balls and being more physical in the paint, and they responded,” Batzer said. “It wasn’t always pretty but the kids were giving it their all. We definitely boxed out better, but still need to attack the ball more consistently to improve our rebounding.”
Meadow View was never threatened in the contest, rolling to a 22-2 first-quarter lead. The Falcons extended their margin to 32-2 at halftime and led 47-7 entering the fourth period, when the only points for either team came on two free throws by the Jets’ Caden Sicka.
Sicka led the Jets with six points and five rebounds while Zach Good chipped in three points and three boards.
“We’ve really got to do a better job of getting the rest of the team involved in the offense,” Batzer noted. “We did some good things off the dribble but there is too much 1-on-1 and not enough passing. Only four players took a shot in the A-game, and that has to change if we want to put up more points. We did a better job with our press break, but still need to cut down on the turnovers.
“But I love how the kids never give up,” the coach added. “We’ve got some winnable games coming up, and as long as the team keeps working hard the wins will come. On an individual level, CJ Johnson really
responded to my challenge to be more physical on the defensive end. I’m super proud of his progress.”
O’Banion led the Falcons with 19 points while Shideler added a dozen.
Meadow View also won the “B” contest 24-9, but history was made as the Jets’ Allie Lockhart became the first female to score a field goal – actually two – during a boys’ game.
“In the B game, Allie Lockhart, one of our two girls competing this year (Destiny Raymond is the other) scored a couple of buckets tonight and everyone on the team was ecstatic,” Batzer exclaimed. “It was a great moment, and I was happy to see how everyone was excited for her. Overall our younger players looked much better than they did on Monday. It was a step in the right direction.”
It should also be noted Raymond, who competes with the “A” squad, connected on a free throw earlier in the season to become the first AMMS female to break into the scoring column.
Lockhart actually led the Jets “B” unit with four points, while Noah Ray tallied three and Toryn Ellsworth finished with two.
Altoona-Midway, 1-5 overall, will travel to Mound Valley on Thursday, Jan. 23.