The Wright City boys basketball team’s robust third quarter performance did not prevail in their 63-45 loss to St. Louis Christian on Dec. 12.

The Wildcats trailed the Knights at the end of each quarter (22-8,35-20,42-35). The team went into the fourth quarter only down by seven points but they were ultimately unable to bounce back from their first half performance.

“We just didn’t start the game off well, we didn’t finish the game well,” Head Coach Ken Brown said. “We ran out of gas, but I thought this third quarter was great. We were on a tremendous run, but the turnovers just killed us.”

The Wildcats hold a 1-6 season record after the loss. Wright City is also missing Grant Lehmen, a key player, due to an injury that will leave him out for 8-12 weeks. Brown noted without Lehmen, the team is trying to adjust to the adversity. This has led to a couple of junior varsity players being pulled up.

“We just got to get used to playing with the team that we have,” Brown said. “I refuse to believe that we’re going to be a bad team.”

Brown noted going into the fourth quarter, the team struggled after being pushed back into a zone. He also named turnovers as an area of struggle, as they totaled 18 in their loss to the Knights.

With their hectic schedule of non-stop games, Brown is hoping to work on these things over Christmas break.

“I think we will get better at it as soon as we get some practice time. We play Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. We’ll get out and get practicing again on Christmas break,” Brown said.

With the injuries, Brown noted the lack of depth on the bench is starting to have an effect on their game.

“Right now, we’re getting worn down which is hurting us. I’ve seen guys that say ‘come get me, come get me out the game.’ They’re just tired so I hope we get better at that,” Brown said.

Brown said the fatigue is partially coming from the team comprising of all football players, except for one, and he noted the differences of being in shape for football and being in shape for basketball. 

“We just got something we got to work on going into Christmas break. We’re going to get in shape, work on playing basketball as a team and just get better because our conference schedule is not easy,” Brown said. “We have to get prepared for all those types of challenges we have coming up.”

Even with the recent tough losses, Brown noted their energy and heart is what is going to allow for their growth as the season continues.

“Our team plays with a lot of energy. Man, a lot of heart. They play really well. The energy and the effort is always there,” Brown said. “It’s just the X’s and the O’s part, and that’s going to be on me to get them better.”

Overall, Lavarious Green was the leading scorer with 11 points. Jersiah Higgins, Kaiden Pilcher and Duan McRoberts each recorded eight.

Wright City will host Warrenton this Friday night in their next contest at 7 p.m.