With a final record of 7-17 on the year, the Wright City boys basketball team wrapped up the season Saturday with a 91-40 loss to Orchard Farm in the first round of district play.
Branden …
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With a final record of 7-17 on the year, the Wright City boys basketball team wrapped up the season Saturday with a 91-40 loss to Orchard Farm in the first round of district play.
Branden Contreras led the Wildcats in scoring against Orchard Farm with 14 points, with Hayden Beck adding 10.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, head coach Ryan Benz noted some solid performers emerged during the season, and there is some reason for optimism next season and in the coming years.
“Hayden led us in scoring and rebounding this year. He scored 15 points per game and had 9.5 rebounds per game,” said Benz. “Kyle Johnson was just behind him with 11 points per game and 9 rebounds per game along with 2.5 blocks per game. Branden Contreras averaged 9.5 points per game, while Trent Bruninghad 7.6 points per game.”
That group includes quite a few players set to turn things around in the future.
“The experience of Hayden, Kyle, and Trent will be beneficial to the team's success next year,” said Benz. “They are tremendous players who continue to get better. I also look forward to seeing this year's sophomores, Ricardo Uribe, Devin Foust, Justin Jones, Trey Brakensiek, Michael Hulskamp, Tim Scheff, and Chase Hornberger develop into great varsity players next year.”
Meanwhile, Benz had plenty of good things to say about his senior class — a group that he is certainly going to miss.
“I have enjoyed working with and coaching each of these seniors. They have tremendous leaders,” he said. “Branden Contreras has worked extremely hard in every practice, making everyone on the team better. Since I arrived three years ago, I have asked him to keep teams honest by shooting well from the outside.”
Contreras isn’t the only departing player that has meant a lot to the Wildcats. Benz had good things to say about a trio of other key contributors as well — Alex Polston, Drake Myers, and Dalton Wiser.
“Alex has been a vocal leader of the team. He encourages all players and pushes them to be better. On the floor, he sees the game differently and gives his input on strategies we should implement. Dalton is a quiet kid that just does a lot of things well on the floor. He plays good defense, shoots the ball well, drives to the basket, and has the ability to jump to get any rebound,” said Benz. “Drake is one of the best one-on-one defenders I have ever coached. He has the ability to lock down on someone and just give them fits. He also did a great job of getting to the basket to score.”
