CHERRYVALE — Surrendering a solid first half in a loss to Neodesha before bouncing back against Bluestem, the Cherryvale Chargers boys opened Tri-Valley League play with a loss on Thursday to Neodesha, 65- 49, before throttling Bluestem on Friday night, 58-26.
In Thursday’s tilt against Neodesha, the Chargers led at halftime, 27-23.
“We came out with all the energy,” John said. “Neodesha got out of their trap and we knocked down some shots against their zone. But when we quit moving the ball, our offense started to lag. We didn’t get some calls and it affected how we played our offense.”
Cherryvale’s offense hit quicksand in the second stanza.
“This is probably the first game anybody has played us zone all year,” John said. “We don’t have a lot of experience running our zone offense. It’s something we’ll have to learn from by watching film.”
Remington John, a freshman, led the Chargers with 21 points.
“He always does a good job,” John said. “He does a good job distributing and sees the floor well. He finishes shots that look like they didn’t have a chance of going in.”
Cherryvale ran away with their matchup against Bluestem the next night.
“We started the game a little sluggish but picked it up quickly,” John said. “I think we had some tired legs from the last night and played a little lackadaisical. It was good to get a win.”
Cherryvale, which struggled mightily a year ago, stands at 7-9 through 16 games.
“We’ve won games that nobody thought we would win,” John said. “We’ve also been blown out in games we shouldn’t have been. We’re young and inexperienced. Our youth showed against Neodesha, especially in the fourth quarter. We’re just inconsistent right now. But we’re seeing less and less of that.”
Up next
Cherryvale gets a week off before facing Fredonia on Friday.
“We hope that our kids have the mentality that it doesn’t matter who or when, just go out and compete,” John said. “I don’t love our schedule, but it’s an opportunity to go compete.”
Wyatt Duncan (1) of the Cherryvale Chargers dribbles down the baseline during a loss to Neodesha on Thursday night. Sean Frye/Sun photo
