Tuesday’s Eastern Missouri Conference battle got a little too close for comfort for coach Rod Hamlett. He watched his Wright City boys basketball team let a 16-point lead dwindle to a two-point margin, inflicting some fourth quarter anxiety. The Wildcats held off Montgomery County 58-56, avenging a lopsided defeat from December. The victory spelled two straight wins for Wright City, after having dropped six in a row. “These wins are huge,” said Hamlett. “We’re trying to get this program turned around. I told them afterward, that it feels so much better to get the ‘W’, even if we kind of stumbled down the stretch.” While the opposition was without a few of its starters due to injury, Hamlett still saw his team perform significantly better than in the first meeting. Having fallen behind early in the initial meeting, Wright City turned the tables and struck first on Tuesday. “The first time we played them they really got after it, and the pressure affected us,” said Hamlett. “As the year has gone on, we’ve handled that pressure a little bit better ... Tonight we were able to stay out of those traps.” But the offense was difficult to come by for both teams in the opening period. The Wildcats led 4-2 five minutes into the game, before each team began to find an offensive rhythm in the closing moments of the quarter. Wright City claimed a 7-5 advantage heading into the second period. A high-paced tempo resulted in a lot of loose ball scrambles and few patient halfcourt sets in the early going. “We started out a little bit sluggish,” said Hamlett. “We didn’t come out playing real hard. Once we kind of got in there and pressured them, then we were able to kind of pick up the tempo a little.” But with a pair new guards in the mix, the Wildcats have been getting more offensive production. Juniors Joe Hill and Zach Kowalik returned after semester break and provided a spark on Tuesday. Hill knocked down a three-pointer that ignited Wright City's run going into the half. Kowalik later banked home a trey, but the Wildcats were willing to take points however they could. Sometimes those points came in the most exclamatory fashion, like when senior Deon Bradshaw flushed home a dunk in the final minute of the first half. The slam sent a statement as Wright City carried a 24-17 advantage into halftime. “The key in the first half was handling the pressure and being able to get into them with our pressure,” said Hamlett. “We made them play a little bit faster than they wanted in the first half.” The Wildcats carried that momentum in to the second half. Senior Mike Abrolat bullied his way around in the paint and began to earn trips to the line. Bradshaw also seemed to elevate his presence underneath the basket, scoring on three straight trips down the floor to push Wright City ahead 33-17. “Early in the game we'd get the ball to the middle of the floor, and he wasn't being real aggressive toward the basket,” said Hamlett. “We told him, 'you go until they stop you. If noone ever stops you, take it to the rim.'” The Wildcats would unleash an 11-0 run to begin the second half, before Montgomery County opted for a timeout. Hill added another bucket at the close of the quarter, putting Wright City in control 41-25. “Our guards are doing a better job of swinging it and moving the ball,” said Hamlett. “In the first game we tried doing a little too much dribbling, and that's what got us late in this game. We kind of reverted back to old habits.” Entering the final period, Montgomery County had knocked down just two treys the entire game. With a flurry of points needed in a hurry, it began trying the outside shoot more frequently — with success. Montgomery County drained five three-pointers in the last eight minutes of the game, nearly enabling it to tie the game. Wright City connected on just enough charity shots to keep the visitors at bay. The Wildcats made 15 of 27 free-throw attempts. They saw three players reach double figures, with Bradshaw cashing in 17 points. Abrolat added 14 points, while Hill scored 13.