Walkerville gets by Pentwater 48-32

The Falcons started out strong, outscoring the Wildcats, 14-6 in the first quarter. But the Wildcats regrouped during the break between periods and roared past the Falcons, 17-4 in the second to jump ahead, 23-18 at the half.

“We came out and pushed the pace, and really made Walkerville work on defense,” Pentwater coach Joe Gorton said. “Our shots were falling.

“Yamaguchi killed us in the third quarter, knocking down three huge 3-point shots. We regained our composure in the third period.”

Pentwater forged a 13-12 edge in the third period, even with Yamagmuchi’s long range shooting, and went into the fourth quarter 35-31 deficit.

The Wildcats outscored the Falcons, 13-1 in the final eight minutes.

“Both teams battled some foul trouble, but we weren’t able to cash in our free throws, and with no shot clock, it’s awfully tough to come back from a six-point deficit,” Gorton said.

“We were forced to foul and take chances, and Walkerville was able to pull away. We had a glimmer in the fourth when sophomore Mckenna Hasil stepped in and drew a charge to foul out Kamorah De La Paz. I was hoping that might turn the tide, but we just ran out of time.”

De La Paz knocked down 20 points to lead Walkerville in scoring. Yamaguchi added 13 while Julie Sheehy tossed in seven and Taylor Carr six.

Pentwater’s leaders included Mikayalyn Kenney who scored 12 points, followed by Haidyn Adams who put in eight and Jocelyn Richison with seven.

Kenney also led the Falcons with 15 rebounds and three steals. Sam Schaefer hauled down eight boards while Richison had two steals.

Walkerville drew closer to the .500 for the season with a 5-6 record with their second straight win, and the Wildcats improved to 5-5 in the league. The Wildcats are next scheduled Thursday, Feb. 3 at Bear Lake.

The Falcons fell to 1-7 overall and 1-5 in the conference with its sixth straight loss. Pentwater is next scheduled to see action at home against Manistee Catholic on Saturday, Jan. 29.