Defense Keys Wiley Victory Over Eads

Wiley head coach Randy Wilson credited his defense for leading the way to a 50-35 victory over Eads last Thursday. His Panthers held the Eagles to just 14 points in the first half, and limited the opposition to 27% shooting from the floor.

The Panthers led the Eagles 22-14 at the intermission, outscoring their guests 11-7 in each of the first two quarters. Eads started to warm up in the third quarter, nearly matching their first half output with 13 points, but the Panthers continued to hold them at bay, adding 15 to their own tally. Wiley put the game away with a 13-8 final period.

The Dellamaestra brothers, Kenny and Christian, each scored 15 points to lead the Panthers in scoring. Older brother, Kenny, was an efficient 7-9 from the floor. Christian ripped down a game-high 15 rebounds.

“I really thought our defense took a step forward against Eads last Thursday,” Coach Wilson stated. “One of our unsung heroes this year has been Blake Ridgeway. He’s almost always matched up against the other team’s best player and he does a great job of guarding the perimeter and defending and boxing out post players. Our offensive efficiency is beginning to improve. We were able to reduce our turnovers but there were still too many careless mistakes. Hopefully the guys are starting to see the rewards for all of their hard work in practice and they are focused on our game this coming Friday at Holly.”

Following that Friday night road trip to Holly, ranked third in the state, the Panthers will return home to host Genoa-Hugo on Saturday.

By Kerry Sherman – @sportsguykerry

Colorado high schools for Colorado Preps. Kerry is in his third year of streaming high school sports online for Colorado Preps, and this is his 23rd year of covering high schools for various print and online outlets throughout Colorado. He also has nine years of coaching experience, with the boys basketball programs at Woodlin and Otis.