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Both Kingston Basketball teams beat Madill in the game for the coveted shoe. Above: The Kingston Lady Redskins pose with their trophy. Aylin Salazar -
Madill’s Miguel Duran, #1, gets flanked by Kingston’s Tucker Rumer, #30 and Jesse Rose, #5 during the December 8 game. Aylin Salazar
On Tuesday, December 8, 2020, the Madill basketball team hosted the Kingston Redskins. The girls’ teams played first with the Lady Redskins putting two points on the board right off the bat. However, Madill Senior Cielo Gomez answered right back with a three pointer. Junior Jayden Weiberg took the ball down the court to score two points. Cielo fouled sending Kingston to the free throw line for one point scored. With 5:20 left in the first quarter, Weiberg sends up a three pointer, with Junior Braylee Schneider following with two points. Senior Mariana Mendez fouled and Kingston added two free throw shots, making the score 10 to five, Madill. The Lady Redskins regrouped to add two layup shots to come within one point behind the Lady Cats. Kingston stole a pass and fouled by Weiberg. Kingston took the lead 11 to 10. Junior Joslyn Stumblingbear made a jump shot to give Madill the lead 12 to 11 with 2:50 left. But the lady Redskins returned a two pointer to take the lead by one with 2:11 to go. The Lady Redskins put in two more points and drew a foul from Schneider. Kingston totaled two points from the free throw line for the lead 17 to 12 with 58 seconds. Kingston wasted no time adding more points because with three seconds remaining in the first quarter, Kingston added two more points.
The second quarter started with a bang as Weiberg punched a three-pointer, however, Kingston ran the ball down the court and scored a three-pointer of their own. Senior Ximena Gomez dashed for a layup drawing in on the Lady Redskins 22 to 17. Madill fouled sending Kingston to the line for a one-point shot. Junior Abbie Lambertsen produced another foul granting the Lady Redskins two more points from the free throw line. Kingston scored two points leaving the Lady Wildcats trailing by 10 points, 27 to 17. Kingston endured a personal foul, posting Weiberg at the free throw line making one point. With 2:28 left, Kingston scored four unanswered points. The Lady Wildcats called a timeout to muster a plan, but the Lady Redskins kept the fear pace scoring a three pointer, collecting a foul, then scoring four more points. Madill lagged behind Kingston at halftime 39 to 18.
The Lady Cats met the Lady Redskins intensity but could not close the point gap — quickly falling behind 50 to 18 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Stumblingbear fouled sending Kingston to the line for two more points. Madill head coach, Shawn Runyan said, “turnovers are our biggest problem and have been.” Kingston was too aggressive for Madill, scoring another nine points. Stumblingbear was fouled and made one free throw shot. The quarter ended with Madill behind by 40 points, 59 to 19.
The fourth quarter found Junior Alyssa Cantrell fouling and Kingston benefited with one free throw point. The Lady Redskins scored five more points. Lambertsen drove to the basket, scoring two points and drawing afoul, making one free throw shot with 2:17 to go. Each team scored an additional two points each with Kingston winning, 67 to 24. Runyan said the intensity of the Redskins is what made the Lady ‘Cats lag.
“The girls got intimidated. We had the drive the first three or four minutes and was winning.”
After the Lady ‘Cats played, it was the Wildcat’s turn on the court. Madill boys hoped to get a win, but it was a difficult challenge. Junior Javier Gomez fouled sending Kingston to the free throw line. Kingston got on the board first with two points. Junior Ezekiel Fuentes made a layup, followed by a three-pointer. Madill took the lead five to two. Junior Nick Northcutt fouled, bringing two more points for Kingston at the free throw line. With 5:40 left in the quarter, Gomez fouled, and Kingston would make one free throw tying the game five to five. Senior Miguel Duran sprinted for a two-point shot, carrying the Wildcats to the lead. The Redskins scored back-to-back seven points. Fuentes hit a three pointer, with Kingston getting a shot off the glass. Kingston took the lead 14 to 10 at the end of the first quarter. Boys head coach Brett Weiberg said they need to focus more on the long game and less on the short spurts of play.
“We need to be able to put together longer stretches of quality play together,” Weiberg said. “We have to shore our transition defense up and then we need to be more confident at the free throw line. We also need to take care of the ball. We are turning the ball over too much.”
The second quarter opened with Gomez blocking a shot and drawing the foul. The Redskins put two free throw points on the scoreboard. The Redskins followed that with two more points. With 6:51 left, Sophomore YoYo Robles was fouled, making one free throw. Robles ran down court for a layup, adding two points, bringing the score to 18 to 13, Redskins leading. Fuentes hustled with a layup followed by a lane shot, bringing the Wildcats within one point of the Redskins. The Redskins turned around and added a three-pointer and a two-pointer. Sophomore RJ Morris was fouled and added one point for the Wildcats. The Redskins scored another three points keeping the lead at halftime 26 to 18.
The Redskins opened the third quarter with a three pointer. Duran was fouled, making both free throw shots. Kingston drew an intentional foul taking Fuentes to the free throw line and he would add two points. The Wildcats honed their focus with Duran making a two-point shot, closing the gap 29 to 24. The Redskins fouled Morris where he made both free throw shots. The Redskins fouled Northcutt where he added one point. In a race riddled with fouls, Junior Kendall Robertson fouled on a Kingston two-point shot allowing the Redskins to make the free throw shot. The free throw battle subsided with a score of 32 to 27, Kingston leading. Weiberg said even though they were behind, there was pockets of improvement.
“I did see areas that we improved in such as we moved the ball a little better and we defended better at times,” Weiberg stated. Back in the action, Morris shot and make a three-pointer. Duran had the game 32 all with a two-point shot. The Redskins added six points, and Fuentes answered back, adding two points. With eight seconds left in the quarter, the Redskins made two free throw shots from a Robertson foul. The quarter closed with Kingston leading 40 to 34.
Duran popped a three-pointer to start the fourth quarter. The Redskins responded right back with a three-pointer of their own. Robertson added a two-point shot. The Redskins took off and added seven more points, leading 50 to 39 with 4:35 left in the game. Duran got a break fora two-point shot, while Northcutt was fouled and made a one point free throw shot. With three minutes left in the game, Kingston increased the lead by three more points. Then, Fuentes made a twopoint lay-up, and Kingston added two more points. Duran fouled allowing Redskins to add one point. With 18 seconds left, Northcutt fouled out of the game. Kingston went to the line and added one more free throw point. Duran was fouled with ten seconds in the game and made one free throw. Madill lost 57 to 45. Weiberg said he saw the areas of play in need of improvement.
“Again, we just have to be able to put 32 minutes together,” said Weiberg. “I thought Kingston played well and they made just enough plays when they needed to.”