Wildcats trip Bulldogs in 67-55 SMC victory

MOKANE - New Bloomfield senior guard Grant Nichols and sophomore forward Jak Kitchens tallied 18 points apiece as the Wildcats fended off the South Callaway Bulldogs 67-55 in Show-Me Conference play Friday night.

New Bloomfield (6-0, 2-0 SMC) went into halftime with a 29-18 lead and owned a 52-40 advantage to start the fourth quarter.

"South Callaway did a great job defensively and we had to work for everything," Wildcats head coach Tim Gilmore said. "It's a rivalry game, no question about it, and we knew it was going to be a great game.

"South Callaway played with great energy and we tried to match it, and in the end we figured it out."

Senior forward Leo Ramirez joined Nichols and Kitchens in double figures with 15 points for New Bloomfield.

Sophomore guard Kaden Helsel countered with 18 points to lead South Callaway (1-3, 0-1) and sophomore guard Dylan Lepper finished with 11.

New Bloomfield played Novinger on Saturday at Moberly Area Community College. Results were not available at press time. The Wildcats travel to SMC opponent Chamois at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The Bulldogs play a non-conference matchup at Blair Oaks at 6 p.m. Tuesday.