The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

After a two-week Christmas break, the Fleming Wildcat basketball teams returned to the court last Friday taking on the Arickaree Bison on the road.

The girls’ team finished the 2023 portion of the season at 4-1. Their first contest of 2024 added their fifth win of the season.

The Lady Wildcats jumped to an early eight-point lead over the Lady Bison in the first quarter last Friday. They expanded that lead by another five points before the halftime horn, putting them up 24-11.

Scoring slowed in the second half with both teams adding single digits in both quarters. Fleming added six in the third and eight in the fourth; Arickaree put up three and eight, respectively. The Lady Wildcats walked away with a 38-22 victory.

The boys’ team closed out 2023 at 3-3. They added a loss at Arickaree last week, making their current record 3-4.

Arickaree’s offense dominated the opening quarter on Friday, putting up 22 points while the Bison defense gave up just four to the visiting Wildcats. The Bison outscored the local team by 16 in the second quarter giving them a 39-5 advantage at the half.

Another high-scoring quarter in the third widened the scoring gap to 48 points, 62-14, Arickaree. Fleming added 14 points in the final quarter and held Arickaree to three, but the Bison maintained the lead at the final buzzer, 65-28.

Individual stats for the games against Arickaree were not available as of press time.

The Wildcats are slated to hit the road for three contests over the next week. They’ll start off on Friday, Jan. 12 at Stratton against the Eagles with tip set for 4 p.m. Both the Lady Eagles and the Eagles sit at 4-1 on the season.

Saturday’s play puts the Wildcats on the court at Prairie for league action beginning at 3 p.m. The Lady Mustangs held a 6-2 record as of press time. The boys’ team sat at 4-4.

On Thursday, Jan. 18, the Wildcat teams are scheduled to travel to Akron. Contests against the Rams are set to start at 4 p.m. The Akron Lady Rams held a 4-3 record with Briggsdale and Wray on their agenda before they face off with Fleming. The Rams held a record identical to the Wildcats’ 3-4 prior to facing off with Briggsdale and Wray over the weekend.