By Kory Carpenter

Record Sports Editor

Wright City’s first win of the season didn’t come without its struggles.

The Wildcats were ready to blow Missouri Military Academy out of the gym Thursday night before things fell apart in the fourth quarter, leaving Head Coach Ken Brown walking to the locker room with a scowl after his team’s 60-56 win.

“The game plan was to play fast, but I don’t think they knew how to shut it off in the second half,” Brown said. “They were playing too fast and started turning the ball over. Luckily, we did a good job of knocking down free throws late.”

Wright City (1-5) took a 45-31 lead into the fourth quarter, but was nearly upended by forced shots early in possessions.

Junior forward Dakota Phillips led the Wildcats with 15 points and 18 rebounds.

“We thought we had the game, but we didn’t,” Phillips said. “We didn’t think they would compete, but they’re a good team.”

Brown said he hopes to see similar performances from Phillips moving forward.

Phillips has been up and down this season, highlighted by a 19-point, 16-rebound performance Nov. 23 against Barat Academy.

“He had a really good game,” Brown said. “I just hope we can get a little more out of him and Kyle (Christopher) consistently. They did a good job tonight, but being consistent has been our focal point this year.”

The Wright City guards, which had blown past the MMA defense most of the game, struggled to milk the clock in the fourth quarter.

The Colonels got hot from the perimeter late, getting within five points in the final 70 seconds before sophomore guard Devon Holmes stole a pass that led to a layup.

Holmes dove into the bleachers to deflect the ball to a teammate.

“That hurt,” Holmes said after the game with a smile. “But that was an adrenaline steal right there.”

Holmes finished with 10 points, and was one of six Wildcats with at least five points.

“It’s good when we have more than one or two guys scoring,” Brown said. “It’s fun when everyone is scoring.”

Senior guard Trey Saddler scored 13 points, and senior guard Tyrell Curtis finished with 10.

Brown and his players harped on the team’s inability to put the opponent away early in the fourth quarter.

“But we’ve never been in this position before,” Brown said. “We can practice it all we want, but it’s tough to slow it down and play with a lead. We need to understand that when we have a lead, we need to just slow it down and run the offense. Then we’ll get better looks and make them be the aggressors.”

An overaggressive defense, Brown said, leads to back-door cuts and layups.

But some things can only be learned from game experiences, and Brown hopes Thursday’s experience helps his team down the road.

“I’m just glad we got our first win,” Brown said. “The first of many, hopefully.”

The Wildcats travel to Bowling Green Thursday night for an Eastern Missouri Conference showdown.

“We’ve got a lot of things to work on, but we will be ready for Bowling Green,” Brown said. “We just need to understand that sharing the basketball is great for us.”

LAYING IT IN — Junior forward Dakota Phillips lays the ball in off the glass during Monday night's 60-56 win over Missouri Military Academy. Phillips led the Wildcats with 15 points.                            Kory Carpenter photo.