Joseph City’s return to the hardwood from the break didn’t go quite as well as they had hoped. Although taking a loss at Mogollon, they bounced back with a pair of wins at the end of the week.
Playing in Heber on Tuesday, the Wildcats fell behind by eight at the end of the opening period. That deficit grew larger in the second when Joseph City found themselves on the wrong end of a 41-19 half time margin.
They played better in the second half outscoring the Mustangs by eight in the third to pull a little closer. They also netted eight more than Mogollon in the fourth but still came up six points short in a 75-69 loss.
Latrell Kinlicheenie played well in the comeback netting 26 points. Seth Hutchens added 17; Ricky Hulsey, 11; Jay Edwards, 7; Avery Buckley, 6; and Colter Westover finished with 2.
On Wednesday, Joseph City returned to the win column with a 58-30 home court win over Mayer. The Wildcats were much more in control in the first half of this game, outscoring Mayer 42-10 in the first half. With the game under control they were outscored by four in the second but won the contest easily.
Kinlicheenie led the team in scoring with 17. Hutchens added 16 and Edwards also reached double figures with 12. Westover added 4; Travis Wilson, 3; Porter Thomas, 3; Tyler Penrod, 2; and Buckley finished with 1.
On Saturday, the Wildcats were in Ash Fork where they picked up another easy win. Thirty-eight first half points once again gave them another comfortable second half in which they cruised to a 56-33 win.
Hutchens led with 19 points; Kinlicheenie had 15; Edwards, 6; Westover, 5; Karter Lampsa, 3; Hulsey, 2; Buckley, 2; Penrod, 2; and Gabriell Lee finished with 2.
Joseph City entered Friday’s game ranked 11th in the 1A rankings. Their two wins should move them up with this week’s rankings set to be released on Tuesday. The Wildcats are now 15-3 overall and 7-2 in regular season games. After playing at Grand Canyon on Tuesday they will host Round Valley on Friday, then welcome in Basis from Flagstaff on Saturday. Next Tuesday they will play at Williams.
