Questa Wildcats boys lose to the Phoenixes and Academy of Technology
The Questa Wildcats (2-13) came up short against The Academy for Technology and the Classics (9-6) in consecutive games on Thursday (Jan. 13) and Saturday (Jan. 15).
During their matchup on Thursday, their opponent’s logo at half court loomed as a mythical phoenix engulfed in flames. Underneath that emblem is the word “fearless,” capitalized and punctuated with an exclamation point. The sparsely populated game was set in a gym in which one side of the court had bleachers and the other side had a
bench squeezed up against a wall. On that side of the court was also
what appeared to be a recessed
stage for theatrical plays when basketball games aren’t taking place.
The Wildcats led for most of the first half. Sophomore Nathaniel Rael provided solid contributions, first with a fade-away put back to take a 4-3 lead. Then Rael
got a steal that gave him a fastbreak layup to extend the lead 6-3. Senior Matt Rael also contributed by hitting a breakaway
layup and setting up Tate Denis with a bullet pass in between
defenders for the easy bucket. The Wildcats were up 17-12 at halftime.
The Phoenix’s Rocky Miller started to take over in the third quarter with an old fashioned 3-point play, a contested layup
plus the foul shot. He then went to the charity stripe on the next
possession. The Phoenix’s Julian Bernardino then stole the ball and used a fancy euro-step move in traffic for a floater to take the
lead. After three quarters, the Phoenixes led 25-24.
In the fourth quarter the Wildcats’ defense could not contain the razzle dazzle of their opponents. The opposing team’s
guards started to gain confidence with their dribbling and with their willingness to attempt difficult shots. The Wildcats also couldn’t generate much offense outside of a made 3-pointer for the quarter. They lost 27-38.
The Wildcats played a closer game on their home court on Saturday Jan. 15 against ATC. It came down to the wire, but after
four tough quarters they lost 49-50.