BUFFALO – Altoona-Midway Middle School played its final home game of the regular season here Thursday. Unfortunately, the friendly confines of Milo Peterson Gymnasium were not friendly enough to the Jets.
The Edna Wildcats provided the opposition for the AMMS home finale, and Edna won 48-16 in the “A” game and 21-2 in the “B” contest.
Making matters worse, the Jets played without the services of head coach David Batzer, who was out battling the flu. Stepping in to guide the AMMS squad was assistant coach Brandi Swiler.
“I cannot say how proud I am of every kid that played tonight,” Swiler noted. “This was by far the most physical game we have played all year and the Jets rose to the occasion defensively and played their hearts out. They played with a ton of enthusiasm, constantly battling the boards and also for loose balls.”
Edna led just 15-7 after one period of play, and increased its lead to 27-12 lead at halftime. A 19-2 run in the third stanza ended all doubt except for the final score, which was 48-16.
Zach Good led the Jets with six points. The rest of the scoring came from Caden Sicka and Cameron Johnson with four points apiece, while Toryn Ellsworth chipped in two.
“We definitely played a much better first half than our second half. The team was tired and we
had limited substitutions due to illness on the team,” Swiler said. “The “A” team again showed great signs of improvement and leadership on the court. Their rebounding as a whole was 110 percent better than it has ever been.
“We also did a great job with our turnovers reducing these as well,” she added. “Although we did not score well we still were able to work the ball inside and run our offense fairly successfully.”
Xavier Poeverlein was the only Jet to get on the scoreboard in the “B” game.
“Again, we were down players due to illness,” Swiler said. “But just like the A-team, I continue to see growth and improvement each game with these players and love to see the teamwork coming together.”
The Jets, now 1-9 on the season, were scheduled to travel to Longton to face Elk Valley on Monday, and later in the week they will participate in the Mineral Belt League Tournament.