Both Wayne High teams had to battle to the end to come away with home wins Thursday over West Point-Beemer.
In the girls game, the Blue Devils got several key plays down the stretch in the fourth quarter to hold off a feisty Lady Cadets squad and come away with a 58-53 win to improve to 14-4 on the season.
Wayne trailed 39-38 going to the final period, but took the lead for good in the fourth quarter on a pair of 3-pointers by Kylie Hammer. Wayne then finished the night hitting 14-of-18 shots from the free throw line, the final two coming from Allison Echtenkamp, to close out the win.
Wayne got out to an 8-2 lead early in the game, but West Point’s offense heated up in the second period and the Lady Cadets took a 28-23 lead into the locker room. Wayne regained the lead late in the third before West Point-Beemer came back to take a one-point lead into the final period.
Kylie Hammer scored a game-high 28 points to pace the Blue Devils, while Kelsey Boyer added 11 points and Echtenkamp scored eight. Also scoring were Frankie Klausen with four, Jamie Gamble with three and Ashten Boyer and Lindy Sandoz with two apiece.
In boys action, the Blue Devils improved to 13-4 with a 59-49 win over the Cadets.
It was a close game for much of the night, but the Blue Devils were able to close it out down the stretch to pick up the 10-point win.
Wayne got out to a quick 8-2 lead on 3-pointers by Payten Gamble and Grayson McBride, but the Cadets battled back to tie the game after one period, and the two teams were knotted at 27-27 on a late 3-pointer by the Cadets just before the halftime buzzer.
Wayne led by as many as seven until late in the period when the Cadets hit another 3-pointer at the end of the period to make it 38-37 going to the fourth. Mason Lee opened the fourth with a pair of baskets and Gamble hit a 3-pointer to make it a seven-point game and the Cadets were never closer than six after that.
Gamble had a game-high 22 points to lead the Blue Devils, with Jack Evetovich adding 17, Lee putting in 13 and McBride scoring seven.
The Wayne girls make up a weather-delayed matchup with Crofton before starting Mid State Conference tournament play on Monday. the Blue Devil boys start conference tournament play on Tuesday.
