Oakesdale spoil senior night for Colton Wildcats

COLTON - Senior night for the Colton Wildcats took place on Friday, Feb. 2, with the game being played against the Oakesdale Nighthawks.

The seniors recognized on the girls side for Colton were Kaydee Heitstuman and Kyndra Stout. Matthew Reisenauer was the lone Wildcat boy recognized.

The girls game started with the Nighthawks dominating from start-to-finish, controlling the game as Oakesdale earned the 61-27 victory.

For Colton, senior Stout finished with 16 points. Clair Moehrle had five, and Ella Nollmeyer had three.

The Nighthawks were led by 29 points from Payton Davis, who out-scored the Wildcats by herself. Davis was 7/7 from the free throw line, and 2/2 from three.

Samantha Holling finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, and Grace Perry had nine points, seven rebounds, seven steals and three assists.

Brieyn Henley had eight rebounds for the Nighthawks.

"She can guard a lot of different positions and her communication and awareness on defense were keys to getting the win. She also hit a three at the buzzer to end the first quarter, and that gave us a lot of momentum going in to the second quarter," said Head Coach Heidi Perry.

"We played outstanding team basketball against Colton. Our ball movement got Payton and Samantha tons of open looks around the rim. I'm so proud of the way we share the ball and find opportunities to set our teammates up for success. Defensively, I think we showed a lot of discipline, desire, and will. When you go to war on defense, it builds unbreakable trust and connections with your teammates," said Perry.

Colton had no answer for Davis and Oakesdale all game long, but showed glimpses of the Wildcat team that is looking to make a strong run in the district playoff tournament.

The boys game saw the top-seed Nighthawks best the Wildcats, earning the 57-26 victory.

For Colton, they were led by senior Reisenauer, who scored 17 points. Colton was active on the rebounding side, grabbing 21 total rebounds. Colton also was effective at moving the ball, and stole the ball 10 times.

For Oakesdale, Emeric Anderson had 22 points. The Nighthawks shot 55% from two, and forced Colton into 22 turnovers.

For Colton, their boys team's season has come to an end. With the young team, the future is still bright for the next season of Wildcat basketball.

The Wildcat girls are the third-seed in the district tournament. They traveled to take on Yakama Tribal on Wednesday, Feb. 7. A victory will see the Wildcats play on Friday, Feb. 9, and a loss will see them play on Friday, Feb. 9.