Wildcats split with John Bapst

    The Presque Isle boys’ varsity basketball team hosted John Bapst to a taste of defeat in Saturdays’ season opener in the Wildcat house, 39-32.
    According to head coach Tim Prescott, the win bodes well for the Wildcats against tough teams similar to John Bapst.

    LOOKING FOR A LUCKY TOSS, Wildcat Adam Kingsbury takes the ball underneath against John Bapst’s Ethan Cushman who stands at 6 feet 8.

   “We could’ve easily held that team in the 20s and that’s almost unheard of,” said Prescott.
    The PIHS boys showed off their defensive prowess due to their athletic ability.
    Prescott described offense connected to the brain. “Our feet are ahead of our brain at this point,” he explained.
    Adam Kingsbury led Wildcat scoring with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
    Russ Mortland added nine more in the low-scoring match. He also had the game-high four steals.
    “It went OK, for the first game,” commented Mortland. “There were a few too many turnovers, but that’s to be expected in the first game.”
    The team’s ability to shut down John Bapst’s Cushman, a 6-feet 8-inch tall player, impressed Mortland.
    “When Cushman started getting into foul trouble we started to get a lot of steals and caused some trouble for John Bapst.”
    Wildcat Sarah Porter worked from the point guard position in Saturday’s home opener against John Bapst, but struggled to score. PIHS failed to topple the purple team, 65-31.

    Porter had nine points, followed by teammate Kayla Legassie with six.
    According to head coach Jeff Hudson, Porter could tally up more points if she didn’t have to play in the point position.
    “They’re a good team,” said Husdon of John Bapst. “We have a tough schedule this season. There are no easy games.”