The Sumner Academy Sabres protected their home court on Wednesday, defeating the visiting Wyandotte Bulldogs 68-39.
Sumner senior guard Vincent Wing brought his all-of-the-above style to the game, scoring inside and out for 20 points, handing out five assists, and snagging four steals on the defensive end.
Sabres freshman Ezra Mathew hit four three-pointers on his way to 14 points — the long-range shots swishing softly through the twine with nary a bump on the rim.
Sumner broke out early with seven straight points, pushing Wyandotte coach Anthony Spencer II to call timeout to gather the team.
Keelan Jackson got the Bulldogs on the board shortly after, but Wing scored on a spin dribble move then a floater in the lane to push the score to 14-2 and another Wyandotte timeout.
The Bulldogs responded with three straight buckets in the final two minutes to finish the first frame down 16-8.
Find a lot more photos from the game at the Dotte Sports site. Article continues below.
Sumner took advantage of the long ball in the second quarter with two three-pointers each from Wing and Mathew, plus one from Eric Wilson, as the home squad ran out to a 28-point advantage before the half.
Wyandotte’s Ashton McCoy had two baskets in the quarter but the Bulldogs couldn’t keep up with Sumner’s pace.
Angelo Reece stepped up for the home side in the third quarter — the junior big man hitting two from outside the arc. A putback at the buzzer by Andreas Huddleston had the Sabres leading 56-24 going into the final quarter.
The Bulldogs put together an offensive burst in the fourth quarter, including three-pointers from Immanuel Collins and Bryant Alvarez and five points at the free throw line.
In addition to Wing’s 20 and Mathew’s 14, Reece was also in double figures for the Sabres with 11 points. Collins and McCoy paced the Bulldogs with eight each, and Jason Vaughn scored seven.
Wyandotte is in its first year of rebuilding under Spencer. The team has yet to notch its first win this season, but got within three of the Harmon Hawks on Tuesday.
Spencer was a key player on winning teams at Hutchinson Junior College and Division I Long Beach State University, and sees the Bulldogs’ taking on that winning character.
“I’ve always found out a way to win, said the Shawnee Mission Northwest alumnus. “It has nothing to do with me being a front runner. It’s everything to do with me turning a rock into a diamond, and that’s what I feel like these kids are.”
Spencer has an eye on the long-term future of the once-dominant Wyandotte basketball program and hosted an “academy” for 25 players from second to eighth grade. He hopes to double the attendance when he repeats the program in the spring.
“We have a plethora of talent in District 500. It just needs to be curated. So when someone takes time and shows the love for the kids and wants to be here, I feel like that’s just the biggest battle right there.”
As he waits for the future to arrive, Spencer is keeping his team focused on the progress they’re already making. “ We were getting beat by 70. Now we’re getting beat by 28. So you have to take the little wins.”
