Leyton Warriors Down Potter-Dix 67-50

The Leyton Warriors boy's basketball team traveled to Potter Tuesday night to face rival Potter-Dix in a matchup that would show where the teams stood early in the season.

Both teams started fast and played with great intensity and speed, but in the early going the Warriors were able to get their shots to fall more consistently and built a 14-to-6 lead with 3:40 remaining in the first quarter. The teams started to settle in and traded scores until the end of the first period which ended with Leyton leading 18-to-10.

Potter-Dix struggled against the Leyton pressure defense, turning the ball over and making errant passes throughout the first quarter, limiting their scoring opportunities. Leyton also had trouble against the Coyotes defense, but were able to capitalize on their shot opportunities more effectively than the Coyotes.

"We are still having problems with full court pressure defense, and it's something we're going to have to continue to work on if we want to have success in the future", said Leyton head coach Cody Gamble.

Potter-Dix head coach Ryan Mumm also noted the problems his team had overcoming the defensive pressure, saying, "We had too many careless turnovers, although I was pleased with the energy level throughout the game. We did a great job of continuing to compete and keeping the game within striking distance."

Leyton turned on the speed in the second quarter, effectively outrunning and getting better position for easy baskets while the Coyotes fell behind while committing turnovers and struggling to get inside shots. The Warriors were able to open a commanding lead at halftime, 33-to-19.

The second half continued similarly, with Potter-Dix's offense working the ball down the court and getting off better shots for points, but Leyton was able to stay one step ahead of the Coyote's defense, and outscored Potter-Dix in the third period by five points to build 53-to-34 lead going into the final period. Again, the teams traded scores, but Potter-Dix needed a shut-down defensive effort in the fourth to overcome the Leyton lead. The Coyote's were unable to stop the Warrior's scoring, and fell by a final score of 67-to-50.

Coach Mumm was pleased with the effort, if not the final results, and said, "We were in the game, but unfortunately it was too little, too late to give us a chance at the end. The team played unselfishly, looked for each other, and supported each other during and after the game. Even though we really wanted to get a win, I'm pleased with the direction the team is headed going into our next couple of games before the Christmas break."

Coach Gamble was also pleased with the effort the Warriors put out on the court, saying, "I thought the boys played well. We had a game plan to feed the posts and we did a good job of that, plus our big guys ran the floor very well and it allowed us to score in our transition game."

On Friday, Potter-Dix is scheduled to travel to Iliff, Colo., to take on Caliche, while Leyton is scheduled to host McPherson County at Dalton.