Wheaton drops season opener to Sarcoxie

The Wheaton Bulldogs boys basketball team dropped its season opener 56-36 to Sarcoxie on Nov. 20.

The Bulldogs (0-1) jumped out to a 12-9 lead after one quarter of play, but poor shooting allowed the Bears to win the second period, outpacing Wheaton 19 to 8 and collecting a 28-20 edge at halftime.

The Bulldogs were nine of 28 from the floor and four of 14 from downtown.

"We weren't a very disciplined team tonight," said Wheaton coach Rusty Roe. "Sarcoxie had 19 steals, and we had a total of 30 turnovers. It's hard to win with that combination."

The Bears swelled their advantage in the third period, outscoring Wheaton 15-5.

Justin Walker led the Bulldogs with 11 rebounds, and Chase Cantwell led Wheaton in scoring with 12 points.

Also scoring for the Bulldogs were: Matt Hickman and Justin Yeary, 9 points each; Walker, 6; and Tyler Musick, 2.

Wheaton will be in action in the Marionville Tournament that runs Nov. 26 through Dec. 1.