Big second half propels Wildcats

What a difference a half makes.
Plagued by poor shooting, turnovers and shoddy defense, the Custer High School boys basketball team went into the halftime break of its season-opening game against Sturgis last Friday down 34-26.
The second half was an entirely different story, however, as the Wildcats outscored the visiting Scoopers 45-20 in that half on the way to a 71-54 win.
“We really didn’t have to say a lot,” Custer head coach Paul Kelley said regarding what he told his team at halftime. “We talked about some adjustments. We have a team that has been through most situations. I know they weren’t pleased. They just started hitting shots at the beginning of that third quarter and just got on a roll.”
The Wildcats actually started the game strong, taking an early 7-2 lead after a Kyle Virtue and Ayden Petz three-pointer. The ’Cats continued to lead by five after a pair of Virtue free throws, but Sturgis rattled off the next seven points, including a three-pointer from Ryan Heinert.
The Wildcats took a two-point lead into the second quarter after Rhett Lowe went coast-to-coast for two of his 19 points, but fell behind toward the tail end of the second quarter when Heinert drilled a pair of three-pointers that saw the Scoopers take a seven-point advantage.
Heinert scored 18 points in the first half, but one of the adjustments the Wildcats made at halftime was to double team him. The strategy worked, as Heinert only scored two points the rest of the way.
“Give our kids credit. They scrambled on the defensive end to pick up the open guy,” Kelley said. “It flustered him and (Sturgis’ team).”
The Wildcats fell behind by as much as nine in the second quarter, but it didn’t take long before they were back in the game in the third quarter, starting with Virtue scoring three the old fashioned way, followed by a Lowe three-pointer off a Virtue assist.
The Wildcats took their first lead of the game at the 5:06 mark when Virtue buried a three-pointer following three Wildcat offensive rebounds. The Wildcats shot only 37 percent in the game but made up for it by dominating on the glass, grabbing 43 rebounds—including 11 from Virtue and 10 from Cody Dirkes—compared to 23 for the Scoopers.
“That’s our heart and desire to go get the ball,” Kelley said. “We’re very pleased with that. Now, how do you maintain that? Can you do that every game?”
Custer went up 42-38 after another Virtue three-pointer off a Carter Boyster assist, and added to the lead with a pair of Virtue free throws.
Sturgis got hit with a technical foul for a player jumping up and slapping the backboard during a dead ball, and Lowe sank both free throws plus one more for a Scooper foul, and suddenly Custer had a nine-point lead.
The Wildcats went to the free throw line 29 times in the game, making 22. Sturgis only attempted six free throws in the game.
Custer went up double digits for the first time in the fourth quarter thanks to a Brady Virtue 10-foot jumper, and after a Dirkes basket was followed by a Petz layup as he snuck behind the Sturgis defense for an easy basket the Scoopers called a timeout.
The pause in play didn’t help the Scoopers’ cause, as the Wildcat press continued to take its toll on the Scoopers, as the Wildcats went up 14 after another Kyle Virtue three off a steal and assist by Petz.
The Wildcats maintained a double-digit lead the remainder of the game, and Brady Virtue put an exclamation point on the win when he collected a pass off a teammate steal and dunked the ball for a 68-54 lead.
“The first half I think was a lot of early-season jitters. Regardless of the experience of our kids, there are still those jitters that do happen,” Kelley said. “There is going to be plenty of mistakes, especially this time of year. They overcame those mistakes with their competitiveness.”
Kyle Virtue finished the game with 25 points, and he and Lowe were the only two Wildcats to crack double digits. Virtue was a perfect 11 for 11 from the free throw line.
Kelley said one concern he had with the game is turnovers, as his team committed 16 giveaways, many of the unforced variety on hurried plays or failed entry passes to the post.
“We don’t have to force things,” he said.
The Wildcats compete in the Lakota Nation Invitational this week in Rapid City, beginning Wednesday with an opening round game against Omaha Nation. The Wildcats are the third seed in the top bracket, making them one of the favorites to win the tournament. The Wildcats haven’t advanced as far as the semifinals in the tournament in over a decade.
“We have to go out and do what we do,” Kelley said. “We just have to play hard and keep doing what we did last Friday.”
Custer    15    11    23    22    —71
Sturgis    13    21    7    13    —54
Custer—Ayden Petz 2-6 3-4 8, Rhett Lowe 5-17 7-8 19, Jackson Wiles 0-0 0-0 0, Brady Virtue 4-10 1-4 9, Cody Dirkes 4-6 0-2 8, Kyle Virtue 5-16 11-11 25, Carter Boyster 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 21-57 22-29 71.
Sturgis—Teigen Wormstadt 2-4 0-0 4, Hayden Rock 6-15 1-2 14, Ty Petrocco 1-5 0-0 2, Dalyn Dschaak 1-2 0-0 2, Ty Ferguson 3-5 0-0 7, Carter Williams 1-5 0-2 3, Ryan Heinert 7-13 2-2 20, Noah Schaefers 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 22-50 3-6 54.
Three-point goals: Custer 7 (K. Virtue 4, Lowe 2, Petz), Sturgis 7 (Heinert 4, Rock, Ferguson, Williams). Rebounding: Custer 45 (K. Virtue 11, Dirkes 10). Sturgis 23 (Wormstadt 5, Williams 5). Steals: Custer 11 (K. Virtue 4), Sturgis 11. Assists: Custer 12, Sturgis 10. Turnovers: Custer 16, Sturgis 16. Total fouls: Custer 11, Sturgis 25. Fouled out: Williams, Heinert.