Stricken with a terrible case of inconsistency, the Wright City basketball team watched a nine-point lead fade away in the fourth quarter of last Thursday’s 71-66 loss at Montgomery County.The Wildcats had let a similar lead evaporate late in the first half but overcome the surge with a barrage of three-pointers.When it came down to crunch time, it was Montgomery County suddenly imposing its will, forcing Wright City to give up the ball against the press.“The consistency from possession to possession just wasn’t there,” lamented a bewildered Coach Rick Halteman. “Ninety percent of our possessions were solid.”His team was “that close” to adding another win to its resume, just as it had been a week prior during a two-point loss at Barat.“Sometimes we looked really good, and then we’ll just have a breakdown,” said Halteman. “We have times where we just kind of relax and then — boom — they hit a big three on us or we can’t find our man right away.”Wright City was in control much of the way and dominant at times.After the two teams traded buckets in the first period, the Wildcats tore off a 17-7 run that put them in firm command after a pair of Christian Thompson free throws.Wright City led by nine with 1:15 remaining in the half, before giving up seven unanswered points to lead just 38-36 at the break.“We had opportunities to take control of the game, but every time it got out to eight points or so, we had a breakdown,” said Halteman.But the Wildcats also showed resilience, coming out of the half to reestablish a sizeable advantage thanks to what has become usual hot-handed three-point shooting by senior Bret Noble. He knocked down five treys in the game, and senior Ty Davis added another in the third quarter to push Wright City ahead 59-50.“Our effort was tremendous, and I have no complaints about that,” said Halteman. “We hustled and fought. We did everything we could, but there were times where we relaxed.”While the outside shot was falling, points were also coming from the paint, and Halteman believes the Wildcats began to trust the trey over the easy bucket.“The three-point shot is a big advantage for us, but I definitely think there are some times we can resist,” said Halteman. “Sometimes we start to settle. There’s a fine line between forcing those threes and taking them when they come. Sometimes we knock a couple down and then we want to see how hot we really are.”Montgomery County deadlocked the game at 61-61 with 5:00 remaining, churning up steals off the press and going after loose balls.“They wanted to speed up the game and force us into making mistakes,” said Halteman. “We are going to get layups on the back end of the press, but they’re willing to give those up to get those steals. They can force you into those spots.”The frustrating matter for the first-year coach was not knowing how to get the most out of his team every trip down the floor.“Against a pretty good Montgomery County team, we have to execute every single possession, and we just didn’t,” said Halteman.WRIGHT CITY BOYS FALL AT MONTGOMERY COUNTYDerrick Forsythe photo