.gif)
SHINER — The Weimar Wildcats season is officially over after completing a Valentine’s Day regular season finale against the rival Shiner Comanches. With no postseason on the horizon, the Wildcats came into their game against Shiner with some energy as they attempted to leave everything on the court. After a tight first half, the Wildcats lost a bit of ground on the scoreboard before entering the final frame. However, Weimar turned on the intensity in the final period of the game as they began a furious comeback to erase the deficit and threaten the Shiner lead. However, despite Weimar’s efforts in that huge fourth quarter, they did not get a decisive, go-ahead bucket to steal the victory as they went on to lose to their rivals in a 52-51 heartbreaker.
The first quarter was the most evenly matched period for the teams throughout a highly competitive matchup. Both teams scored nine points apiece as they kept up with each other’s scoring. Shiner started to build their lead in the second half with a 19-point quarter during an offensive explosion. However, Weimar kept right in step with their rivals and scored 15 points of their own to take just a four-point deficit into the halftime break. Outside of the half, the Wildcats fell into even more of hole as Shiner outscored them 16-10 in the third quarter to push the lead to double-digits entering into the fourth quarter.
The final frame is where things changed for the Wildcats as they started their comeback bid. They locked in defensively, holding Shiner to a game-low eight points in that frame after allowing two, double- digit periods in a row. They were also on point offensively as their shots began to fall. The Wildcats had their best scoring period with 17 points as they crept closer to taking the lead as the fourth quarter went along. After making so much progress towards stealing a victory in the final moments, the Wildcats were unable to find the final shot to put them over their opponents as the comeback effort nearly succeeded.
Leading scorer Brady Henke was a vital part of the Wildcats’ comeback effort and helped them stay close throughout the rest of the game. He finished with 17 points and nearly had a double-double with nine assists on his line. Derek Rees was the other double-digit scorer for the Wildcats with 12 points to go along with five rebounds. Huxton Kloesel had the highest total of rebounds for Weimar with eight.
The Wildcats were able to compile some pretty solid counting totals throughout this season. Brady Henke paced all players as the overall scoring leader. He scored a teamhigh 314 total points this season, he also led the team in assists and steals with 47 and 38 respectively. Derek Rees was the season’s next leading scorer with 248 total points of his own. Dreylon McMillian was the top glass cleaner this season for the Wildcats with 112 rebounds.
