On Thursday, Dec. 14, the Wildcats battled the Storm on the road looking to collect their third win in a row. This overlooked rivalry led to an electric atmosphere and a great game which would come down to the final quarter.
Millard West is walking into this game with a 3-1 record, and coming off of a 19-point win against Fremont. Junior Reece Carson has made a name for himself currently averaging 15 points per game as well as shooting 57% from the field. As for Elkhorn South, their record heading into this game stood at 2-2, while coming off of a marginal victory against Norfolk. The Storm is led by senior guard Aidan Skradis who averages 19 points per game and has scored a whopping 114 points this season.
The Storm got things going early by scoring two easy baskets, but the Wildcats quickly responded with contributions from senior guards Max Frohloff and Jordan Gassen. The Wildcats press sped up the Storm offense which led to turnovers and low-quality shots. Senior forward Cooper Fortune established himself as a threat early in this game, by hitting multiple fadeaway jumpers to stretch the lead for the Cats. At the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats led the Storm 18-13.
‘’Seeing my shots fall early in the game always helps my confidence throughout the game,’’ Fortune said. ‘’I knew getting hot early would ultimately help the team and myself win the game in the end.’’
The Wildcats had a textbook start to the second half with a Carson layup and three-pointer from freshman Cade Walker. The Cats got cold from the field, which allowed the Storm to slowly crawl back into a smaller deficit. A Fortune layup at the five-minute mark would be the last time the Cats scored this half. Elkhorn South would go on a small run led by Skradis, but the Wildcats still led 27-20 going into the second half.
‘’Even though we had a lead I knew we wouldn’t be able to take our foot off the gas,’’ senior Jace Ingebretson said. ‘’Coming out with the same intensity we did in the first and not letting up would be important if we wanted to win.’’
Carson would start the third quarter with a three from the wing to extend the lead to ten points for the Cats. Elkhorn South knew they had to make an adjustment and they did just that. The Storm found their way to the rim and converted an ‘’and 1’’ and another layup on back-to-back possessions. After a Wildcat missed shot, Junior Lincoln Schwarz hit a dagger three-pointer to cut the Wildcat lead to 2.
Both teams traded scores after this Storm run, but it was Elkhorn South on top 36-34.
‘’I was hoping we could’ve extended the lead we had at halftime but that wasn’t the case, ‘’ Frohloff said. ‘’They finally started to get hot, and I knew that we were going to have to dig deep and put together some good possessions.’’
Eight minutes were put back up on the clock, and the Cats were locked in. Senior Jordan Gassen forced a turnover and followed it up with a bucket, and Fortune made a tough layup in transition to give the Cats a lead. This lead continued throughout the quarter as the Wildcats made their money in transition multiple times leaving the Storm in shambles. As time winded down, Elkhorn South had no response for the Wildcats, which would result in a 52-42 Millard West victory.
‘’This one felt good because I feel like this rivalry is overlooked by many,’’ Gassen said. ‘’It’s always tougher to win on the road, especially at that place, but I’m just glad we were able to pull through and win as a team.’’
The Wildcats hope to build off this game, as they take on the Gretna Dragons at home on Saturday, Dec. 16.
