NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The New Bloomfield Wildcats outscored the MMA Colonels 19-9 in the fourth quarter Tuesday night to come away with the non-conference win.
New Bloomfield (12-8) was behind 23-17 after one quarter, but outscored MMA 20-13 in the second quarter to carry a narrow 37-36 edge into halftime. The Colonels were in front 52-50 entering the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats dominated the final 8 minutes.
"I felt we did a great job in the fourth quarter slowing them down and holding them to nine points," New Bloomfield head coach Tim Gilmore said. "They are a very fast team and do a great job of getting out on the break and driving it hard to the basket.
"Our boys did a nice job of sliding their feet and keeping them in front. We talked a lot about sprinting back on defense and getting in a stance. We figured it out in the fourth quarter and buckled down to pull out the win."
Junior forward Jak Kitchens delivered a spectacular double-double with a game-high 30 points and 22 rebounds to spark the Wildcats. Junior guards Nick Hamman and Kyle Emerson added 14 and 10 points, respectively.
New Bloomfield hosts Eugene in a Show-Me Conference matchup at 6 p.m. Friday.