Since the season opener against Clarkrange, MHS basketball has experienced a roller coaster of events. The Lady Wave are on a 5-game win streak since their season-opening loss, including last night’s 47-29 blowout of Wartburg Central. The Midway boys started the season 2-0 but then dropped three games in a row before getting back into the win column last night with a 57-54 thriller over Wartburg.
Girls Game
The Lady Wave are averaging nearly 30 three-point attempts per game. While it may take some time for the shots to start dropping, the girls do not pass up an open shot, and misses generally start becoming makes in the second half. Last night at Wartburg was the exception. In the tranquil gym lighting of Wartburg Central, the Lady Wave made only two three-pointers, both in the first quarter. It was the Lady Wave defense that controlled the game. While the offense generated only 18 points in the first half, they held the Wartburg Lady Bulldogs to just 11 points and gave up only three points in the entire third quarter.
The Lady Wave offense got rolling in the fourth quarter with Abbie Parks and Kyleigh Cawood doing most of the damage. Parks hit two from the field and went 3-4 at the line. Cawood didn’t have any buckets from the field in the fourth but went 8-10 at the line. Collectively, the Lady Wave (5-1) hit 16 of 20 free throws on their way to a 47-29 win.
Parks and Cawood each had 16 points, with Tatum Collier adding six.
Boys Game
Following wins over Clarkrange and Concord Christian to start the season, the Wave lost a home match to Sweetwater 51-54. That marked the start of some unfortunate events for the GreenWave. Senior guard Brennan Reed suffered a knee injury early in the game against Oliver Springs. The Bobcats went on to win that game 64-57. The Wave then traveled to Sunbright. With Reed still out of the lineup, much of the offensive production turned to senior Dalton Cowell. Unfortunately bad luck struck again. In the game against the Tigers, Cowell took an elbow to the forehead early in the second quarter, opening a large gash above his eye. Cowell did not return to the game and required stitches to close the wound. The Tigers edged out Midway 53-49, handing the Wave their third consecutive loss.
Though Reed is still sidelined with the knee injury, “Stitch” Cowell was able to return to the lineup for last night’s game at Wartburg. The Bulldogs are a guard-heavy team with several good shooters, while the Midway offense is still trying to find the success they had in the preseason. Both teams swapped buckets in the first quarter, with Midway holding a 13-12 edge at the end of one. Midway started to pull away slightly in the second quarter and had a seven-point lead with two minutes to go in the half, but Wartburg quickly erased that. Midway managed just two points in the remaining minutes, and the teams went into the half with Midway up 26-25.
The Bulldogs put together a solid third quarter, while turnovers and missed foul shots troubled the Wave. Wartburg took the lead to close out the third, 42-38. They built on the lead early in the fourth, but a couple of steals led to easy Midway buckets, including a two-hand slam from Wyatt McClure. Midway took the momentum in the blink of an eye. McClure followed the dunk with a three-pointer on the next possession. Cooper Queener connected on a jumper and a layup, and Peyton Steele added a bucket and a trey to send Midway on a 14-3 run, taking a 52-45 lead with under four minutes remaining.
The Wave continued to struggle with turnovers and free-throw shooting down the stretch, keeping the game close in the final 60 seconds. However, the team made the necessary plays to come away with the 57-54 win.
The Wave (3-3) had balanced scoring across the starting five: Cowell 15, McClure 12, Steele 11, Queener 10, Arndts 9.
Midway will host Oakdale this Friday. The game will be played at MIDWAY MIDDLE and will also feature the Hall of Fame induction of Howard Rose and Nadine Jackson. A reception for the inductees, with guest speakers, storytelling, and refreshments, begins at 5:30 in the cafeteria. Everyone is invited.