JEFFERSON CITY - The New Bloomfield Wildcats rode their three-headed monster to a commanding 76-42 victory over the Calvary Lutheran Lions on Tuesday night.
Senior center Jak Kitchens, senior guard Kyle Emerson and junior guard Jalen Martin combined for 56 points and nine 3-pointers as New Bloomfield (2-0) spoiled Calvary Lutheran's season opener.
"The biggest thing is we have a veteran team coming back and we had no seniors last year," New Bloomfield head coach Tim Gilmore said. "It's been nice having that consistency early.
"We're older this year and I think that's helped our chemistry early on this season."
Kitchens was the early catalyst for the Wildcats on Tuesday night as he scored 11 of their first 17 points in the first quarter. The Lions' undersized frontline couldn't keep Kitchens out of the restricted area as he dominated on the glass as well.
After Kitchens' first three shots tied the game at 7-all, New Bloomfield took its first lead 10-9 when Kitchens secured an offensive board and found Emerson for a wide-open 3.
"(Kitchens) did a great job on the offensive glass and that's one of the things we always talk about," Gilmore said. "With him and (senior forward) Cole Hazelhorst, we do a great job of getting extra possessions.
"And when we have Kyle shooting like that, long shots normally lead to long rebounds, so they pounded the boards really hard tonight."
Calvary Lutheran remained feisty in the opening quarter behind senior forward Jimmie Wehmeyer. After a Martin trey put New Bloomfield ahead by two points, Wehmeyer answered back by navigating through traffic and making a tough layup while getting fouled.
Wehmeyer missed the free throw, but would make another near the end of the quarter to keep the Lions within reach at 17-14. Calvary Lutheran's lone returning starter from last year, Wehmeyer's experience and leadership was crucial in the early going Tuesday night.
"He's the guy we expect to go to. He started out really well and had a good first half," Lions head coach Mark Buffington said. "He's a little bit undersized and against Kitchens he stepped up and did everything he could.
"He didn't do anything I didn't expect from him, I'll say that."
Despite Wehmeyer's efforts, another Martin 3 gave the Wildcats a 22-14 edge after one quarter and it was also a preview of what was to come in the second period - a New Bloomfield shooting clinic.
The Wildcats connected six times from behind the arc in the second quarter as their lead balloned to 29 points. Calvary Lutheran's offense began bogging down as New Bloomfield ramped up the pace and began obtaining turnovers and fast-break opportunities.
"They made shots and we didn't, especially in the second (quarter)," Buffington said. "I think it was fairly close besides that period. We had a great first, but knew they would come back and be tough.
"We got in foul trouble and once they started making those threes, we kinda just fell off."
During one stretch, with the Wildcats up 36-16, Emerson brought the crowd to its feet as he produced his own personal 11-3 run shortly before halftime.
Emerson hit three consecutive 3s from the corner and then ripped the ball away from Wehmeyer while nearly stumbling. Emerson kept his dribble and proceeded to make an acrobatic, reverse layup.
"It's funny, we saw the mismatch with Jak, so we put him and Kyle on the same side," Gilmore said. "If they wanted to double down on Jak, he could just kick it back for the open three.
"Those two obviously had great chemistry on the floor and did well tonight."
The third quarter was another showcase for New Bloomfield as Kitchen opened the second half with a beautiful backdoor cut for an easy layup. The Wildcats' advantage would grow to as many as 37 points in the second half as the Lions had no answer for the long-range bombs unleashed by Emerson and Martin.
Kitchens produced a game-high 25 points to steer four players in double figures for New Bloomfield. Emerson followed with 19 points, Hazelhorst chipped in with 11 and Martin supplied 10.
Wehmeyer led the Lions with 16 points and junior Matt Allen added 11.
The Wildcats are the No. 1 seed for next week's 79th-annual Tipton Tournament. New Bloomfield faces No. 8 seed LaMonte in a first-round matchup at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Calvary Lutheran is the eighth seed in next week's Eugene Invitational Tournament. The Lions square off against No. 1 seed Eugene in the first round at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Stevie Johnson can be reached at 573 (826) 2423, or on Twitter @Stevie_FSun.