After allowing an average of 64 points per game in three straight losses, West Prairie High School boys basketball coach Ian Conkling knew something had to change on the defensive end of the floor for his squad.
“We needed to tighten down defensively and find an identity,” he said.
The Cyclones responded by notching a pair of victories to even their season record at 3-3.
On Dec. 4, West Prairie wrapped up play in the Spartan Tip-Off Classic by recording a 52-42 victory over Illini Bluffs.
The game was originally scheduled for Nov. 29, but was postponed by wintry weather.
The Cyclones led 12-9 after the opening eight minutes but by halftime trailed 22-21.
West Prairie outscored IB 15-11 in the third period to retake the lead at 36-33. The Cyclones maintained control down the stretch, outscoring the Tigers 16-9 on the way to taking fourth place in the tournament with a 2-3 record.
West Prairie had four players reach double figures in scoring, led by Holden Coplan with 14 points.
Older brother and all-tournament team selection Braden Coplan added 13 points, followed by Ryan Clark with 11 and Matt Whitman with 10.
Brody Cordell chipped in four points for the Cyclones.
Justus Dugger topped Illini Bluffs (1-4) with 12 points.
The following evening, the Cyclones headed to Astoria for a Prairieland Conference South Division contest against host South Fulton.
West Prairie raced out to an early lead and maintained control throughout in notching a 63-39 win.
The Cyclones evened their season record at 3-3, also improving to 1-1 in Prairieland South play.
“Our goal was to get back to .500,” said Conkling. “We had to play a lot better on the defensive end to accomplish that.”
“We found that by doing a little bit of a zone and some pressure, trying to wake up a little bit early,” he added. “It’s helped us adjust to the game and get back into the swing of things.”
The Cyclones got into the swing of things right away against the Rebels.
Braden Coplan and Clark combined for 19 of the team's 24 points in the initial eight minutes as West Prairie breezed out to a 24-8 lead.
Coplan continued to be a one-man wrecking crew offensively in the second period, scoring 14 of the Cyclones’ 17 points. That helped West Prairie glide into halftime with a 41-18 lead.
“That’s been our issue the whole season,” said South Fulton coach Mike Simpson, whose team had just seven baskets in the first half. “We play decent basketball. But we just keep missing (shots), and missing, and missing.”
“We don’t take any of our opponents for granted. We’re not that type of team,” said Conkling. “We knew we had to get after it early, not only to attack them early and force turnovers to create opportunities for ourselves, but also to get us engaged in the game early and in that mode of being aggressive offensively and defensively.”
Five different players combined for 16 points in the third frame as West Prairie led 57-26 heading into the final quarter.
“When you have someone like (Coplan) on your team that can create and get things open, everyone else is going to have easier shots,” said Simpson.
Braden Coplan topped West Prairie with 26 points, while Clark added 14.
Holden Coplan added seven points, followed by Eli De Counter with four. Whitman and Ivan Beck added three each, while Hunter Jackson, Cordell and Austin Nelson chipped in two points apiece.
“We’re finally able to play an entire game,” said Conkling. “We’re still trying to figure out rotations, but the effort is there for all four quarters.”
Riley Foglesong topped South Fulton (0-5, 0-1 Prairieland South) with 11 points.
Kylor Clemens was next with nine points, followed by Gabe Nicks with eight. Jasper Lyttaker and Jackson Miller tallied four points each and Xander Thiner three for the Rebels.
“We’ve got a long way to go, but I feel like it’s going to get better,” said Simpson.
Meanwhile the West Prairie JV also notched a pair of wins.
On Dec. 4 at Bushnell, the Cyclones defeated host B-PC 50-36.
West Prairie outscored B-PC 9-4 in the second period in taking a 19-14 lead at intermission.
The Cyclones then exploded for 26 points in the third quarter on the way to building a 45-22 advantage heading into the final frame.
Beck topped West Prairie with 15 points, 11 in the third quarter, while Gannon Shipman added 14, 11 in the second half.
Ayden Lacey added six points, followed by Holden Coplan, Cam Melvin and Tyson Carnes with four points each.
Mason Whitman chipped in three points for the Cyclones.
Charles Rudolph topped B-PC with 12 points.
The following night at Astoria, West Prairie escaped with a 43-41 win over host South Fulton.
The Cyclones led 6-5 after the opening period and 21-18 at halftime.
West Prairie maintained a 31-28 edge heading into the final eight minutes before hanging on.
Carnes topped West Prairie with 13 points.
Mason Whitman was next with nine points, followed by Shipman with eight and Beck with six.
Holden Coplan added three, while Melvin and Lacey chipped in two points apiece for the Cyclones.
Clemens topped South Fulton with 15 points.
Morgan Foglesong added eight points, followed by Kalvin Gorsuch with seven, Bobby Welch with six, Aidan Taylor with four and Westin Chenoweth with one.
The Cyclones started a busy week Monday in hosting West Central.
West Prairie is set to host Lewistown on Tuesday before facing North Fulton at Cuba on Friday.
