For one half, both the Valley Falls Dragons’ varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams had control of their first Friday night games of the season.
It was the other half that ended up being the problem in two narrow losses to the visitors from Atchison County Community High School. The Dragon boys ended up succumbing by 5 points while the girls ended up on the losing end of a 6-point margin.
For the Dragon boys, the first half was their downfall. The Tigers built a 6-0 lead to start the game and held the lead from there, although the Dragons closed the lead to 3 late in the quarter. A 3-pointer by Tigers sophomore Austin Eckert made the score 16-10 ACCHS after one quarter.
The Tigers had chances to stretch the lead to double digits in the second quarter as the Dragons went an extended period of time without scoring. Senior Chase Lederer drilled a 3-pointer with 1:23 to go in the half as the Dragons held the ACCHS lead to 9, 26-17, at halftime.
The Dragons came out of the locker room on a hot streak to start the second half as two scores by junior Alex Nottingham and, later, a 3-pointer by senior Tyler Wynkoop helped knot the score at 26. A Nottingham lay-in with 2:32 left in the quarter gave the Dragons their first lead of the game at 30-29. It was short-lived, however, as the Tigers ended the quarter on an 8-point run to take a 37-30 lead into the fourth quarter. Three late turnovers did the Dragons no favors in the run.
Midway through the final quarter, the Dragons had made no headway on the 7-point deficit and the lead eventually reached 10 points at 42-32. Three points by Dragons senior Riley Bunde trimmed into the lead, and a lay-in by junior Brooks Glassel cut the lead to 42-37 with 1:27 to play. The Dragons cut the lead to 3 on a late 3-pointer by sophomore Brock Watson but ACCHS junior Ryan Martin salted the game away with two free throws with 3 seconds left to make the final score 47-42 Tigers.
Eckert led the Tigers with 15 points while Martin added 10 in the win. Eckert and junior Blaze Hollands led the Tigers with 6 rebounds each. Martin also had 5 steals.
Valley Falls was led by 9 points from Glassel and 8 points each from Bunde and Nottingham. Bunde also pulled down 14 rebounds with 3 steals and 3 blocked shots in the loss. The Dragons outrebounded the Tigers, 28-27, but committed 20 turnovers compared to 17 from ACCHS.
Tiger girls 49, Dragons 43
The Dragons and junior guard Abbey Kearney ruled the first half of the game with ACCHS, but the Tigers surged back in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 6-point win.
Kearney scored 20 of her 29 points in the first half but the Dragons were outrebounded and outgunned in the game’s final minutes.
Kearney scored the Dragons’ first 10 points as they took a 10-5 lead midway through the opening quarter. A late 3-pointer from sophomore Macie Herrig helped the Dragons take a 14-7 lead into the second quarter.
The Tigers started the second quarter on a 9-1 run fueled by 4 points from sophomore Tara Jo Ellerman and a 3-pointer from senior Jennifer Harmon that gave the Tigers a 16-15 lead with 5:12 left in the half. Kearney snatched the lead back for the Dragons with a running jumper and then converted a 3-point play to give Valley Falls some breathing room at 20-16. Atchison County tied the score at 22, however, before the Dragons finished the half on a 5-point run thanks to 5 more points from Kearney to take a 29-24 lead into halftime.
Ellerman notched 4 points to start the third quarter but the Dragons clung to the lead until late in the quarter. An Ellerman jumper tied the game at 34 with 58 seconds left and a free throw by sophomore Katrina Reiss gave the Tigers a 35-34 lead entering the final quarter.
Neither team could pull ahead through the first part of the fourth quarter until an Ellerman jumper made it 39-36 Tigers with 4:48 to play. The Tigers stretched the lead to 5 but Kearney hit a 3-pointer with 1:58 left to cut the lead back to 2. The Dragons had two chances to tie the game but couldn’t cash in. Late Dragon shots wouldn’t fall and sophomore Brooke Fowler hit 5 free throws down the stretch to help the Tigers to the 49-43 win.
Ellerman led the way for ACCHS with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals while Harmon scored 12 points in the win.
The Dragons were led by 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks from Kearney. Only senior Bailey Sherretts joined Kearney with more than 5 points as she scored 7 for the Dragons. The Tigers outrebounded the Dragons, 28-22, and had 20 turnovers compared to 21 for Valley Falls.
