WP boys’ basketball team improves throughout season

    The Wauneta-Palisade boys’ basketball team finished the season on a 4-2 run and doubled last season’s win total with a six-win season.
    WP Head Coach Jacob Pritchard said he and Assistant Coach John Kershaw are very proud of the boys and the way they worked to get better this year in a season that saw 18 losses.
    “They showed a ton of resilience and mental toughness,” Pritchard added.
    The Broncos were led by seniors Robert Hanna (6.6 ppg), Grant Walker (4.8 ppg), Aidan Kennicutt (4.5 ppg), Ruel Malcolm (3.3 ppg) and Laiden Lawler (3.2 ppg).
    Juniors Michael Duvel, Kyle Jutten and Jacksen Littrel saw action in at least 22 of WP’s 24 games.
    Freshman Grayden Sutherland played in 20 games and classmate Ashton Wheeler in 19 games.
    Kennicutt and Malcolm were neck and neck to be the team’s leading rebounder, with 4.6 and 4.4 rebounds per game, respectively.
    “During the season we strived to play as a team and to not have our success rely on any single player,” Pritchard, adding the Broncos faced their share of adversity this season, but the five seniors stepped up, led by example and kept Wauneta-Palisade moving forward.
    “Their hard work made it possible for our team to earn a win on senior night and win four of our last six games,” Pritchard added.
    In his first year at Broncos’ Head Coach, Pritchard said this was a fun team to coach and work with.
    “Our seniors will be missed and we are excited to see them start their next journey after graduation,” Pritchard added.
    Dundy County Stratton, which beat the Wauneta-Palisade three times this season, advanced to the Class D1 semifinals with a 48-44 win over Mead Monday. The second-seeded Tigers will play third-seeded Loomis Wednesday morning.