Circle has nothing to do with Wellington second time around with 66-35 victory
Jack Wright leads Wellington with 12 points vs. Circle.
By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — When Wellington and Circle got together to play for the Chaparral Tournament Championship, it was a one-point barnburner.
Circle wasn’t having any part of it Friday. The fifth-ranked Thunderbirds came into Wellington and buried the Crusaders 66-35 on its homecoming.
“Even at full strength, I’m not sure we could beat Circle tonight,” said Joe Newman, Wellington’s head boys basketball coach said. “They completely dominated this game from start to finish.”
It started promising enough in the first quarter. Circle and Wellington were trading baskets and the Thunderbirds led by three points, 14-11 going into the second. But much like a stick-shift race car, Circle kicked it into a higher gear. In a matter of minutes, Circle was up by double digits and went into halftime leading 31-17.
Things didn’t get any better in the second half as Circle outscored Wellington 19-10 in the third and 16-8 in the fourth.
Circle defenders were all over Wellington players throughout the night.
“We have to do a better job taking care of the ball and rebounding,” said Joe Newman, Wellington’s head boys basketball coach. “When a team takes 20 more shots than you, turns you over twice as much, and outrebounds you by 20, your chances of winning are not good.”
It’s been a tough return to basketball after a week off. Wellington lost in Augusta on Tuesday, which in turn defeated Andale last night. This game most certainly was a lot different than the Chappy Tournament when Wellington controlled the boards and limited turnovers and nearly upset Circle a couple Saturdays ago.
Newman states:
“As the season goes along we are at our best in the half court and getting the ball to the second and third side of the floor. We like to run in spurts, but overall, in order for this team to be successful we have to be patient on offense and make the other team defend for longer than a few seconds.”
Morice Ayers got the start tonight vs. Circle.
Wellington hopes to right the shift when the Crusaders travel to El Dorado to kick off the second stage of the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Div. IV. Despite the recent troubles, the Crusaders are still in a position to contend for the AV-CTL DIV crown.
The full stats can be found here: Wellington-Circle stats
