THE EAST ATCHISON WOLVES JR. HIGH BASKETBALL TEAM – Placed 2nd in the 1st annual 275 Conference Jr. High Basketball Tournament. Pictured are team members, from left to right: front row – Aaron Schlueter, Hunter Bennett, Carter Holecek, Kaylin Merriweather, and Titus Eaton; and back row – Assistant Coach Christian Lovely, Jordan Graf, Bo Graves, Kaden Cooper, Josh Smith, and Ian Hedlund. (Photo By Traci Cooper)

The East Atchison Jr. High Boys’ Basketball Team competed in the 275 Conference Tournament last week. The boys played very well and placed 2nd overall.
In their first game of the contest, the Wolves defeated West Nodaway 46-24 in Burlington Junction, Missouri. Ian Hedlund scored 28 points for the Wolves, followed by Kaden Cooper with 14, Josh Smith with two, and Kaylin Merriweather and Hunter Bennett with one each. Coach Robbie Bates said, “We came on strong in the 2nd half to put the game away.”
The Wolves’ second game of the tournament was played in Tarkio. EA defeated Platte Valley 43-9. Ian Hedlund put 17 points on the board for EA, followed by Hunter Bennett with six, Kaden Cooper, Carter Holecek, Kaylin Merriweather, and Titus Eaton with four each, and Aaron Schlueter and Jordan Graf with two each. Coach Bates remarked, “We had an outstanding defensive effort! The boys held them scoreless in the second half. The kids really played well.”
The Wolves played Mound City for the championship, but ultimately lost the game 46-54. Ian Hedlund had another amazing game, scoring 30 of the Wolves 46 points. Kaden Cooper added six points, followed by Carter Holecek, Aaron Schlueter, Titus Eaton, and Josh Smith with two points each, and Kaylin Merriweather and Jordan Graf with one point each. Coach Bates commented, “We finished the year 12-3. All three losses were to Mound City. Each game against them we continued to get better and by the end of the season, I thought we were playing our best basketball.”