Kitchens' 26 leads Wildcats past Iberia in season opener

WAYNESVILLE - The New Bloomdfield Wildcats took home bragging rights in the inaugural Frisco League-Show-Me Conference Showdown on Saturday.

Behind 26 points from senior forward Jak Kitchens, the Wildcats knocked off Iberia 87-72, but the Frisco League won the boys' division 5-4.

"I felt the biggest key to the game was that we got off to a good start in the first quarter," New Bloomfield head coach Tim Gilmore said. "Being the first game of the year for both teams, it is nice to jump out to a 10-point lead after the first.

"It helped to calm our first-game nerves. One thing we have spoke a lot about with our players is being a balanced team on the offensive end. We did a nice job of getting the ball into our post players early and establishing the paint in the first half."

The Wildcats led 43-24 and continued to put the pressure on with 23 points in the third quarter. Iberia limited New Bloomfield's effectiveness in the post, but that opened the door for its backcourt to shine.

Junior guard Jalen Martin poured in 19 points for the Wildcats, while senior guards Kyle Emerson and Nick Hammann provided 14 and 10 points, respectively. New Bloomfield shot 55 percent (10-of-18) from 3-point range, which Gilmore credited to his team's unselfishness.

"One stat line we look at a lot as a coaching staff is total assists for the team," Gilmore said. "As a team we had 23 assists, which is big for us.

"That shows the ball is not sticking and we are trusting our teammate to make the correct decision.

The Wildcats will travel to face Calvary Lutheran at 5 p.m. today.