CLAFLIN — The high school basketball game between the Claflin Wildcats and the Macksville Mustangs Friday night was very much a tale of two halves.
Throughout the first half, Claflin hung with Macksville, but a 21-point third quarter gave the Mustangs a lead that they held to the end, winning 60-46.
“I was pleased with the second half,” Mustangs head coach Jeff Kuckelman said. “I thought we came out and played well in the second half. The first half was just, the only word I can think of is disgusting.
We just had no energy. We didn’t get out there on defense. Offensively, scoring 23 in the first half, that’s ridiculous.”
Macksville, which entered the game ranked No. 10 in Class 1A Division-I in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll, jumped ahead of Claflin 9-2 in the first three minutes of the first quarter thanks to six points from 6-foot-6 senior Derek Bevan.
However, Claflin fought back, going to the foul line four times for six points and also getting a 3-pointer from Benn Kirmer to close the gap to 11-10 after one quarter. Kirmer led the Wildcats with 17 points,
“We kept fouling them,” Kuckelman said. “You know, we talked about denying them the penetration and we let them go around us. Then we’d foul. We did a much better job of that in the second half.”
At the start of the second quarter, Macksville did it again, going on a 9-2 run fueled by Kyle Bunker, who scored five and finished with a game-high 20 points.
Then Claflin climbed back, and again, went to the foul line four times for six points and two points from Tim Stueder. The latest surge from the Wildcats tied the game at 20.
“Overall, other than taking the loss, I am happy with the way the kids played,” Wildcats head coach Tony Heitschmidt said. “We lost to these guys by 40 points last year, so to only lose by 14 this year, I think we came out and we played a good game.”
In the final minute of the half, Adam Oak, who scored seven points in the second quarter and 16 in the game, hit a trey to put the Mustangs up 23-20 at halftime.
The game changed in the third quarter.
Macksville began to use its size advantage with Bevan and Bunker, 6-5, being six to seven inches taller than any of the Wildcats on the court.
“For them, I don’t think Bevan and Bunker were very aggressive in the first half and (Kuckelman) got them going to the goal,” Heitschmidt said. “I mean, we can only stop 6-5 and 6-6 so many times.
“For us, that’s probably the best we’ve defended 6-5, 6-6 kids all year.”
Bunker scored 13 points in the second half and Bevan, who finished the game with 12, added six in the half to help the Mustangs outscore the Wildcats 37-26.
Aaron Maier, the only other Claflin player in double digits with 12 points, led the Wildcats in the fourth quarter with four to help them outscore Macksville 17-16.