The Joseph City Wildcats are off to a hot start at the beginning of the new basketball season. Coach Eric Miller has his unit off to a 9-1 overall start, which includes his 5-0 run at the Route 66 Tournament held over the weekend.
The Wildcats played one regular season game prior to the weekend tournament picking up a 57-33 regular season road win at Mayer on Dec. 3. Latrell Kinlicheenie paced the team with 16 points, Jay Edwards added 13 and Seth Hutchens netted 12. DJ Beatty added 8; Avery Buckley, 4; Ricky Hulsey, 3; and Travis Wilson finished with 2.
Their first tournament game played in Williams on Thursday was a 72-54 win over Hopi. Edwards utilized his height and led the team with 29 points to go along with 12 boards. Hutchens also had a double, with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Kinlicheenie added 10.
Their second tournament game was against the host team Williams and resulted in a 48-36 win. Hutchens led with 17, Kinlicheenie added 14 and Edwards finished with 10.
On Friday, Joseph City returned to Williams and took down St. Michael 56-50 early in the afternoon. Again it was the trio of Edwards with 18, Kinlicheenie with 12 and Hutchens with 10 points to lead the team. Edwards also pulled down 12 boards.
Friday afternoon the Wildcats again faced off with the host team Williams and again they cruised to an easy 56-33 win over the Vikings. Hutchens led with 21 points, Kinlicheenie added 13 and Edwards helped with 8.
On Saturday, the Wildcats found enough energy to outlast Cibecue for a 68-63 win. Hutchens netted 31 and grabbed 13 boards, Kinlicheenie scored 18 and Edwards finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
With their two tournaments now behind them the Wildcats can focus on the regular season. After hosting Ash Fork on Tuesday, they will welcome in Valley Sanders on Thursday. On Friday they finish off a three-game homestand when Grand Canyon makes a visit.
