The Winfield Viking boys basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday with a 55-53 win over Mulvane.
Winfield, coming off a game where they scored just 30 points, raced out to a 19-12 first quarter lead.
Freshman Le’Gend Riley scored 10 of his 17 points in the first quarter as Mulvane had no answer for his 6’9’’ frame. The Vikings maintained the lead at halftime (30-23) and after the third quarter (39-37). Mulvane, which fell behind by as many as 10 in the third quarter chipped away at the lead and eventually took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter.
Mulvane led 53-50 late in the game when Winfield sophomore Korban Benavides hit a game-tying three point shot. Mulvane had the basketball with under a minute to play but turned the ball over to Winfield.
With 38 seconds left, Winfield ran the clock down and senior Evan Hutto was fouled on a jump shot with 4.1 seconds remaining. Hutto buried both free throws to take a two-point lead. Mulvane’s Braylon Barnes last second three-point shot hit wide left off the rim and Winfield earned a much needed victory. Hutto led all scorers with 21 points.
The Winfield girls basketball team trailed by just three points after the first quarter, but a 16-3 second quarter by Mulvane gave them a 27-11 halftime lead.
Winfield played one of their best quarters of the season in the third as they trimmed the Wildcat lead to eight at 33-25 heading to the fourth quarter. Mulvane was able to get the free throw line 12 times in the fourth, hitting nine of them, and held off Winfield by a score of 49-34.
The loss officially eliminated the Vikings from a spot in the post season. Winfield was led by sophomore Karsyn Hutto as she scored 12 points, while sophomore Ansley McCaslin added seven.
Winfield will travel to Buhler on Tuesday night for a doubleheader. The girls will tipoff at 6 p.m., and the boys at 7:45 p.m.
