BUFFALO – Season-openers are frequently difficult for high school basketball teams as they attempt to knock off the dust from inactivity as well as work out the kinks of getting a new roster operating smoothly and efficiently.
Combine those problems with having to face not only a talented opponent – but one that already enjoyed the luxury of having played a game – and you’re facing an uphill battle.
Such was the case for both varsity squads at Altoona-Midway High School as the powerful Hartford Jaguars strode into Milo Peterson Gymnasium and swept a doubleheader when AMHS made its 2024-25 debut here Friday night.
The formidable Lady Jaguars opened the twinbill with a convincing 71-28 victory, and the Hartford boys followed with an impressive second-half performance to pull away from AMHS and post a 64-46 triumph.
Altoona-Midway will try to regroup over the weekend and prepare for three games in the Valley Tip Off Classic hosted by Marais Des Cygnes High School in Melvern. Both AMHS teams will be in action Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in that tournament.
AMHS BOYS Altoona-Midway jumped out to a big first-quarter advantage, but Hartford rallied to take a 25-24 lead by halftime. The Jags then pulled away in the second half for a convincing 64-46 win.
“We got off to a great start, but Hartford came back quickly to lead by one at the half,” said AMHS head coach Dave Vance. “Then in the second half, we were plagued by too many turnovers and a lack of rebounding.
“But you have to give Hartford credit – they had a three-pronged attack that was hard to stop,” Vance added, referring to the Jaguar triumvirate of senior Nolin Trester, junior Keenan Renfrow and sophomore Coy Wilkerson. That trio combined for 49 points, including 32 of the squad’s 40 second-half production.
“With (Wilkerson) hitting outside shots, (Trester) driving and creating, and (Renfrow) posting us up inside, we were pretty much defenseless – or at least so it appeared,” Vance noted.
William Stackhouse poured in 11 first-quarter points as the Jets roared to an early 10-4 lead, expanding that advantage to 15-5, but Hartford quickly rallied and Tester’s follow shot gave the Jaguars a 25-24 halftime lead.
AMHS trailed just 28-27 in the third quarter, but the Jags ended the period on a 13-2 run to make it 41-29. Despite Kieran Foster ripping the nets for a dozen point in the fourth quarter alone, the Jets could get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
“We executed very well in the first quarter, but towards the end of the second quarter and into the third, we seemed to forget what we were doing,” Vance said. “We started throwing the ball all over the place.”
Foster and Stackhouse led the Jets with 21 and 18 points, respectively, but AMHS got only seven points from the rest of the squad, as Kage Beck finished with four, Joey Lamendola had two and Chance Carter one. Stackhouse also grabbed 12 rebounds and tallied eight steals.
“Due to foul problems, our bench got quite a bit of action tonight, which will be valuable to them down the road,” Vance said. “We have a lot of improving to do, and a short time to do it. We look forward to the tournament next week and a rematch with Hartford, hopefully with better results.”
Wilkerson led Hartford with 25 points, including 17 in the second half. Renfrow netted 13 while Tester and senior Oliver Smith each added 11.
The boys’ squads also played a two-quarter junior varsity game, with Hartford winning 21-17. Chance Carter and Aaryn Maple scored seven points each for the Jets, while Chance Mustain chipped in three.
AMHS GIRLS Senior Emmalynn Pupanek poured in 19 points and pulled down 16 rebounds, but that stellar performance wasn’t enough against a very talented Hartford team as the Lady Jaguars rolled to a 71-28 victory in the girls’ varsity game.
But despite the final score, Lady Jets head coach Jessica Porter was far from discouraged.
“We actually had a lot of ‘wins’ tonight. It just wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard,” Porter said. “Hartford is possibly one of the best teams we will play all season.”
One of those unseen wins came in the Lady Jets’ offensive production. In last year’s season opener, AMHS managed just a single basket in a 56-2 loss.
“Last year we only scored two points against (Hartford),” Porter said. “Plus, even though their full-court press still caused us lots of problems, we actually handled it much better than a year ago.”
Altoona-Midway was also without one of its better ballhandlers, Autumn Raymond, who is out of town and will miss the first few games.
“We knew this game was going to be a tough one,” Porter said. “But if we stick together and work hard, we’ll have some success this year.”
Freshman Sandra Morales scored from the lane in the opening moments, and her first varsity points actually gave the Lady Jets a short-lived 2-0 lead. But Hartford quickly assumed command, grabbing a 22-5 first-quarter lead that they expanded to 47-12 by intermission and 64-18 after three periods.
“Before the game started, I was up front with the girls. I told them this is going to be a tough one, but we are going to build our character tonight,” Porter said. “We wanted to focus on having a good attitude no matter what, having good sportsmanship, and to never give up and keep hustling.
“Well, we did all of that tonight, scored more points than we ever have against them - and even had fun,” the coach noted. “Despite the score, when we went into locker room you would have thought we just won a championship game. The girls were so proud and excited. That’s what I was looking for. Certainly wins are great, but I’m positive that if we play like we did tonight against other teams, we’ll be ok this season.”
In addition to Pupanek’s 19-point outburst, the Lady Jets got four points from Sandra Morales, two each from Chantal Morales and Jasa Pankaskie, and one point from Mika Parsons.
Hartford only suited up eight players for the contest, but five of them scored in double figures. Keilee Finnerty dropped in 18 points to pace the Lady Jags, while Trinity Windle netted 13, Lauryn Finnerty and Aubrey Finnerty tallied 12 apiece, and Lexi Giesken-Mears finished with 10.
The Lady Jets (0-1) will open play in the Valley Tip-Off Classic, facing host Marais Des Cygnes Valley at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, at Melvern. A boys’ game between the same two schools will follow.
Hartford and Southern Coffey County are also participating in the three-game, round-robin classic.
