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There is a red circle around this date on the calendar of every local basketball lover. The Kokomo Wildkats and Western Panthers kicked off the 2023-24 varsity basketball season in front of a sold-out crowd at Memorial Gymnasium on Nov. 21. But the game on the court wasn’t nearly as competitive as it has been in years past.
The Wildkats, anchored by Kansas recruit Flory Bidunga, manhandled their cross-county rivals, 69-22.
The sole positive for Western on the evening was their ability to simply limit Bidunga. The big man was held to just nine points despite never leaving the court. He made all three shots he took on the evening and three of four from the foul line. He did manage 13 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Unfortunately for Western, there were four other players for Kokomo on the court all evening, and they were not restricted like their centerpiece. Junior guard Zion Bellamy led the Kats with 16 points, hitting six of eight from the field and four of four from behind the arc. Senior Karson Rogers added 15 points, hitting seven of his eight shots. In fact, Kokomo showed deadly accuracy, hitting 68 percent of its shots.
Kokomo was amazingly stingy on defense. It held Western scoreless through much of the first quarter, reeling off a 17-0 run to start the game. The Panthers managed just four points in the first, and only nine points at the half.
The Wildkats just kept walking away, outscoring the Panthers, 27-7, in the third quarter before finally easing off the gas pedal in the fourth for a 10-6 margin.
The highly ranked Wildkats will try to cap the holiday weekend with a second win on Saturday night as they host Westfield. Western will try to rebound from their drubbing with a win on the road at Twin Lakes, also on Saturday night.
See these photos and more from the game, courtesy of Goad Sports Media, by visiting www.kokomolantern.com or the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.