Jr. Troy Baker recorded his first triple double of his career in the win against Clearwater
MHS - Men's Basketball / January 15, 2015 By Connor Downing
On Friday, January 9, the Mulvane Wildcats defeated the Clearwater Indians on their home court 52-35.
6’6” junior Troy Baker was a man amongst boys, recording his first career triple double, with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. He made the opposition think twice before trying to score a bucket down low. Because of that, the Indians were held to 10 points in the second half, the lowest second half total Mulvane has held a team to this season.
Senior Jace Price has been the undisputed scoring leader for the Wildcats so far this year. Averaging 23.3 points per game, Price has been on the radar of opposing teams all season. Because of this, Price was limited to only 16 points in the game. However, with the stellar play of Baker, and the emergence of sophomore Dalton Blaine, the team was fine without getting 23 points from Price. Blaine scored 10 points off of a perfect 3-3 from the field and 4-4 from the line.
There was a point in the game where the result was in doubt. In the Second Half, senior Jaden Dulaney removed all doubt in the final score of the game. After Clearwater looked to be making a comeback, Dulaney hit two big back-to-back 3’s to swing the momentum back to Mulvane’s side.
Senior Mason LeClair was unable to play in the game due to an illness. Taking his place in the starting lineup was sophomore James Chancellor, who ended the game with 4 points and 5 rebounds.
On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Wildcats traveled to Andale to compete against one of the top teams in the state of Kansas, but lost a hard fought battle to Andale 63-43.
Baker had another solid performance, grabbing 9 points 9 rebounds. Although Baker only had 2 blocked shots, his mere presence in the paint altered their offense.
Price had 17 points and 4 rebounds. Again, now that teams have heard of Price’s dominance, teams have tried to shut him down on the offensive side of the ball. This has opened the door for Price’s teammates to succeed on offense, such as Jaden Dulaney. Dulaney scored 13 points, including a few three-pointers to give the team hope in the third quarter.
Andale and Mulvane both played Collegiate earlier in the year. The Wildcats lost to Collegiate earlier in the year by 27 points. Andale played Collegiate earlier in the year and won, 61-58. Going into this game, Andale were heavy favorites to win. The score, however, does not reflect how well Mulvane played.
Although they lost by 20, there were many improvements in the way they played, and the general attitude during the game.
The Wildcats play Winfield Friday, January 16. Good luck to our ‘Cats!
