Amidst a disjointed effort, boys hoops scratches off another one

The+Wildcats+suited+up+to+take+on+the+Franklin+Lightning+on+Wedneesday.+They+had+a+rough+start%2C+but+rebounded+well+to+win+by+6.

Kaiya Shivers

The Wildcats suited up to take on the Franklin Lightning on Wedneesday. They had a rough start, but rebounded well to win by 6.

On Wednesday afternoon, WHS had a contested date with the Franklin Lightning of the 6A Portland Interscholastic League. The Wildcats, who have been riding high, felt confident coming into this one. Their seventh game of the year would not go according to plan.

The first quarter felt like the warm-up session for both squads, lacking offensive firepower but consisted of defensive energy which fueled an 8-4 lead.

Through the second, it felt like things were starting to heat up and the defenses were still clicking. The Wildcats collected turnovers (steals) and rebounds, jumping out to an almost double-digit lead after the first half. The bugaboo for this club was finding a leading scorer (Scanlan and Dougall led the way) and fouling out two athletes (Logan Theibay and Enzo Chimenti).

Largely due to the turnovers that the Wildcats gave up late and the slew of fouls, the game stayed tight until the last few seconds, when WHS won 35-29.

They are 7-0 and will play Hillsboro on Friday and Saturday.