BUFFALO – What could be better than the host school raising the championship trophy at the conclusion of a basketball tournament?
Easy – when both the boys’ and girls’ teams proudly hoist the coveted prize the same evening.
Such was the electrifying setting Friday night at Milo Peterson Gymnasium, as the Altoona-Midway Jets swept first-place honors to conclude the third annual Milburn G. “Mel’ Apt Memorial Tournament.
On the boys’ side of the bracket, AMHS defended its crown and claimed the tourney championship for a second consecutive year with a 63-48 victory over previously unbeaten Liberty Homeschool Alliance.
Earlier in the evening, the Lady Jets continued their recent surge with a stirring 51-40 triumph, also over LHA. The Altoona-Midway girls entered the tournament winless in seven outings, but posted three straight impressive wins to capture the title.
“We are tournament champs. What a great feeling,” said Jessica Porter, head coach of the Lady Jets. “I’m so proud of all of the girls. They played super hard all week and they deserve this.”
“It was a great tournament for both our boys’ and girls’ teams,” said AMHS boys’ head coach Dave Vance. “With the girls playing so well in the games before ours, I believe it helps motivate the boys to play harder. It was great seeing both teams perform up to their capabilities.
And our cheer squad, along with the crowd, we’re all fantastic.”
The AMHS boys now stand 6-5 overall on the season, while the Lady Jets improved to 3-7.
Altoona-Midway returns to the hardwoods for a pair of varsity doubleheaders this week, traveling to Yates Center on Tuesday and to Southern Coffey County (LeRoy) on Friday.
AMHS BOYS
The Altoona-Midway boys had a goal of defending the Milburn Apt Tournament title they won a year ago, and they reached that milestone Friday with an impressive 63-48 victory over Liberty Homeschool Alliance.
“The team I saw play this week is the team I envisioned heading into the season,” Vance said. “We still have plenty of areas for improvement, but I like the direction we’re headed.”
Against Liberty, the Jets played a consistent game, building their lead slightly through each period. AMHS was up 18-13 after one, 33-23 at halftime, and 45-33 entering the final stanza. The lead ballooned to 20 late in the game before Liberty tallied the final five points during mop-up time.
“The boys played well again tonight,” Vance noted. “That’s three good games in a row. Hopefully we can keep the string going. We played solid defense and managed to rebound enough to keep Liberty pretty much at arm’s length all night.”
William Stackhouse had another stellar game for the Jets, pouring in 27 points for the third consecutive game. He also had 14 rebounds, eight steals, four deflections and six assists – the final one coming on an amazing play late in the game when he stole the ball near the sideline and while falling out of bounds fired a perfect behind-the-back pass for a layup by a streaking Joey Lamendola.
But the victory was far from a one-man effort, as the entire Jet squad displayed effort, teamwork and unselfishness the entire evening.
Lamendola finished with 10 points, Kieran Foster and Chance Carter tossed in seven apiece, Kage Beck and Taj Chism netted five each, and Chance Mustain added two.
Foster continued his job as a masterful floor general, handing out five assists and directing the offense. Beck grabbed seven rebounds and everyone was active on defense.
“Our defense came up with a lot of turnovers which led to fastbreaks. As a result, we shot 62 percent from the field, and we only attempted nine three-pointers (making three), which was a plus,” Vance said.
“Now the key is to build on this week,” he added. “We have to keep working, we need to keep improving every play of every game.”
AMHS GIRLS
After struggling to an 0-7 start to begin the season, it was almost as if a lightbulb went on the collective minds of the Lady Jets this week.
In all three games of the Apt Memorial Tournament, the AMHS girls played with increased confidence, moved the ball quickly and efficiently to the open man on offense, and used their notable advantage in overall team speed to harass their opponents into multiple turnovers, turning many of those into fastbreak opportunities at the other end.
The results on the scoreboard were just as impressive. Altoona-Midway routed Tyro Christian School 50-18 and Southern Coffey County 61-13 earlier in the week, then capped things off with a 51-40 triumph over Liberty to claimed the tourney title.
“What a way to win our first three games. Watching these girls play has really been fun this week,” said AMHS head coach Jessica Porter. “We are finally clicking as a team and finding our energy out on the court. I’m very pleased with how they are playing.”
Liberty trailed just 16-15 late in the second quarter, but freshman Sandra Morales hit from the wing and senior Emmalynn Pupanek scored on a pair of fastbreaks to give AMHS a 22-15 lead at halftime.
Morales, who was red-hot the entire night, opened the second half with a trey and later hit another wing shot. But Liberty was still within 32-26 with a minute to play in the third quarter. Pupanek hit a deuce and Morales drained another three to make it 37-26 after three.
An 8-2 run to open the final quarter made it 45-28 and the Lady Jets coasted the rest of the way. Autumn Raymond had four points and Morales and Mika Parsons each added two during the surge.
“This was the hardest fought game we had all week and the girls came together as a team and pulled out the win,” Porter said. “If they keep it up, I believe we can win quite a few more games this season.”
Sandra Morales drained a season-high 22 points, including three treys, to pace the Lady Jets. Pupanek finished with 15, Raymond and Parsons each netted six, and Chantal Morales added two.
Pupanek was a beast on the boards, hauling down 19 rebounds. Raymond and Chantal Morales were credited with seven and five steals, respectively.