Wildcats extend winning streak to eight

WELLSVILLE - The New Bloomfield Wildcats gained command by outscoring the Wellsville Tigers 18-10 in the fourth quarter to pick up their eighth straight victory 66-56 Monday night.

New Bloomfield (14-1) - coming off a 96-74 win over Montgomery County in the championship of the South Callaway Invitational Tournament on Saturday night - trailed Wellsville 31-29 at halftime. The Wildcats outscored the Tigers 19-15 in the third quarter to take a 48-46 lead, then put away Wellsville over the final 8 minutes.

"This was one of those grind-it-out games," New Bloomfield head coach Tim Gilmore said. "It was nice to see on a night where things weren't going our way, with having kids in foul trouble and struggling to knock down shots from the outside, that we were able to pull off a win."

Senior guard Derek Shikles and sophomore forward Jak Kitchens shared game scoring honors with 18 points apiece to spark the Wildcats.

"We knew with coming off a busy week at the South Callaway Tournament that this would be a very tough game," Gilmore said. "Wellsville did a great job making us work for everything.

"It is nice to see us stay mentally tough and pull out a win."

New Bloomfield hosts Linn in a Show-Me Conference encounter at 6 p.m. Friday.