The second half of the basketball season starts up tonight for a pair of area schools in Winfield when the Wolves open 2022 with a doubleheader against Columbus Community. 

The WMU girls are off to a 9-2 start and second in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division with a 6-1 league mark. Defense is what the team has predicated themselves on giving up just 28 points a game and bringing in 34 rebounds a night. Bradie Buffington leads the squad with 15.6 points and Keetyn Townsley adds 10.3 an outing. Columbus sits at 2-8 and eighth in the division with 1-6 conference record. They score 29 points a game with Sera Vela accounting for 7.7 of them and Aracely Garza chipping in with 7.8 boards. WMU has won five straight in the series dating back to 2017. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys will try to keep their top position in the north division standings with a perfect 6-0 league record and 7-1 overall. They have held opponents to 34 points a game and offensively Cam Buffington averages 20 of the team’s 56 points a contest. The Wolves shoot 48% from the field as a team. Columbus is 3-5 overall and 3-4 in the league. Grant Watson adds stability on the offensive end averaging 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a night. The Wolves have won three in a row in the series and have a 23-5 record against the Wildcats since 2007. 

The girls game gets underway at 6 p.m. tonight with the boys to follow in Winfield.