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If scoring is something that is enjoyable, then Atchison was the place to be on Tuesday night. Kansas City Washington and Atchison met for a KCAL battle and both games would require an extra four minutes added to the scoreboard.
The girls game can be best described as crazy. In the first quarter, Washington sophomore Gyana Bradley fouled Atchison’s Arika Smith on a made bucket and then committed a technical foul to give Atchison a five-point play. With 4.7 seconds left in the first half, the same thing happened, but this time, Atchison junior Jordan Ross was the culprit. The five-point swing gave Washington the advantage heading into the half winning 37-34.
In the third, tempers slightly cooled off, but the fouling didn’t stop. While scrambling for a loose ball, Atchison’s leading scorer Smith dove for the ball with four fouls. She ran into Washington’s Imone Carter and fouled out of the game. Her teammates picked up the slack and went into the fourth quarter with a 48-45 lead. Both teams traded baskets in the final quarter, but the Lady Wildcats were able to tie up the game at 65-65. In overtime, Atchison had chances at the free throw line to tie or take the lead, but Washington held on to win 76-73.
Washington senior Doniesha Womack lit up the scoreboard, recording 48 points for the Lady Wildcats. For the Atchison Lady Red, senior Ashton Ettleman was a force inside the paint as the Bank of Atchison Player of the Game finished with 31 points. Arike Smith finished with 17 points in three quarters while senior Mady Shipley chipped in 11.
Kansas City Washington went to 1-5 on the season and 1-0 in league play while Atchison fell to 1-4 and 0-1 in the Kansas City-Atchison League.
Last season, the Atchison Redmen snapped a league losing skid after beating Kansas City Wyandotte. Starting the KCAL play with a victory would give Atchison a huge boost of confidence for 2014. In the first quarter, the Redmen had chances, but after shooting 4-13 from the free throw line, Atchison trailed 16-14. Then in the second, the Redmen turned around and held Washington to just four points and went to the break, up 31-20.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter and the Redmen at one point had their largest lead on the night, up by 15 points. Led by senior Jeremee Bennett, the Wildcats charged back and tied up the game. Atchison sophomore Wykeen Gill had a chance to score the game winner to prevent overtime, but the shot was a bit short. In overtime, Atchison sophomore Jerome Luster exploded with three three-pointers, all of which were back-to-back-to-back. That offensive attack was enough for Atchison to hang on for the 76-67 victory and the student section and players celebrated by storming the court.
All five starters scored all the points for the Redmen and three players scored 20 or more points. The Bank of Atchison Player of the Game was junior Jerel Rawls who finished with 23 points. Gill finished with 22 and Luster had 21.
For Washington, senior Jeremee Bennett had an incredible game, finishing with 33 points. The other double-figure scorer for the Wildcats was James McNeal, who chipped in 15.
Atchison matched its league-win total from a year ago and improved to 4-1 on the season while KC Washington fell to 2-3. Atchison’s next matchup is at Kansas City Sumner while KC Washington plays Shawnee Mission-North.
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