Darren Doyle, story and photos:
After two wins earlier in the week to start the season, the Lady Cats fell last night to the Ohio County Lady Eagles at home in a 3-2 pitching duel where errors were the deciding factor on the scoreboard.

The Lady Cats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when junior Kaylee Ann Sanders singled on a bunt with runners on first and second. Both runners scored on throwing errors by Ohio County that advanced Sanders to third.

Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, it was all the run support they would provide for Edmonson County pitcher Julie Norris, who pitched the 7-inning complete game. She gave up 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5 in the loss.

The Lady Eagles got on the board in the top of the third when the Lady Cats committed an error with a runner on second. The runner advanced and cut Edmonson's lead to 2-1.

The score remained the same until the top of the 6th when Ohio County doubled. The base runner then advanced to third on a pop up that was dropped by the Lady Cats. With runners on first and third, Ohio County hit a hard grounder that was bobbled by Edmonson for another error. Two runs scored for an Ohio County 3-2 lead.

While Edmonson County held the Lady Eagles for the rest of the game, they were unable to produce any more runs for their first loss of the season. The Lady Cats struck out 12 times against Ohio County pitcher Addyson Graves.

Sanders finished 1-3, Jolee Vincent went 1-3, and Brooklyn Wilson also went 1-3.

Edmonson County is 2-1 on the year after a win against Bowling Green on Monday and on Metcalfe County on Tuesday.

The Wildcat baseball team is also off to a 2-1 start as their season began this week as well. They defeated Russellville 18-3 in 5 innings, lost 1-4 to Allen County-Scottsville, and won over Metcalfe 14-3 last night.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
Kasey Webb, a junior at Edmonson County High School recently placed 2nd in the Kentucky Class A Indoor Track State Championship, held in Louisville, in the shot put competition.

Webb set a new school record with a shot put throw of 44 feet and 4 inches.

In addition to Webb, Seth Baker, also a junior at ECHS, competed in the shot put as well. He finished 38th overall.

ECHS Track Coach Brad Meredith said that while track season hasn't officially started, some have already been working on their own to prepare for the upcoming season; two of them had the opportunity to compete in Louisville over the weekend.

"Coach Michael Peger is our throws coach and he does a tremendous job with our kids," said Meredith "They have been working for over a month now and when he asked if he could take them to Louisville to compete I said absolutely. Both wanted to see where they were in competition since putting in the early work.  I knew they would do fine but didn't dream they both would throw as well as they did. I am very proud of them and shows that hard work pays off."

Coach Peger spoke on Webb's performance and described him as very coachable and a hard worker.

"He has not yet hit where he's going to go in the sport," said Coach Peger. "He competed against 54 throwers and three different flights and came in second in the state. I can't wait to see how well they do throughout the season. I'm very proud and very happy for him."

Kasey is the son of Todd and Michelle Webb of the Otter Gap community.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The 2023 Edmonson County Wildcat basketball season came to an end tonight with a 48-31 loss to the Owensboro Catholic Aces in the 3rd Region Tournament, held at the Owensboro Sportscenter, the home court of the Aces.

OC pressed the Wildcats on every single dead ball situation, which caused trouble for Edmonson County early. While turnovers weren't the main issue for the Wildcats, (7 at halftime), rushed and altered shots contributed to poor shooting in the first half, shooting 5 of 24 from the floor (21%)

The Wildcats were down 34-18 at the half. Edmonson County could never find any real offensive rhythm as Catholic continued their press. While the Aces were out-rebounded by the Cats, their offensive rebounding was extremely efficient as they scored double figures in second-chance points.

Edmonson County was led in scoring by Braden Wall with 10 points. He also pulled down 11 rebounds. Also scoring was Will Alexander with 6 points along with sophomore Joshua Decker (6pts), who started in place on the absent Braxton Highbaugh, who ECHS said was unavailable for tonight's game.

Tyler Anderson had 4 points, Zander Bass had 3, and Boden Bates added 2 points.

Coach Brad Johnson discussed the difficult night for the Wildcats.

"We had to shuffle everybody around a little bit but we made no excuses," he said. "They shot the ball better than us. Of course, it's their home gym...if we knock in some shots and we shoot a better percentage, then we're right in the game."

Johnson also paid respect to his seniors that took the floor for the last time in a Wildcat basketball jersey tonight that included Braden Wall, Tyler Anderson, Zander Bass, Boden Bates, Caden Mills, Braxton Highbaugh, Cam Campbell, and Tyler Vincent. He discussed each one and their contributions to the program over the years. He also said that he told them in the locker rooms that while this is the end of one part of their lives, it's the beginning of something else. He said he also told them that there are much worse things in life than losing a basketball games.

Edmonson County finishes their season with a record of 18-13. They brought home the first District 12 Championship since the 2017 team. It was the first time in school history that the boys and girls won the championships in the same season.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The 2023 District 12 Champion Edmonson County Wildcats are scheduled to take on Owensboro Catholic tonight at approximately 7:35PM at the Owensboro Sportscenter in the boys' first round of the Region 3 Tournament.

As we stated last night during the Lady Cats' game, we are prohibited from carrying the live action on video; however, we are allowed to provide an audio stream of the game, due to Region 3 regulations.

We are providing a video stream on our YouTube Channel of the audio that will feature our broadcasters and a shot of the scoreboard. While we know this is not your preferred method of receiving game content, we feel it is better than simply offering our audio feed-only from the WildcatsLive page on EdmonsonVoice.com.

The response to this format was overwhelmingly positive last night, despite our Lady Cats falling short to Breckinridge County. We plan to call the game as normal on YouTube, but you will simply have our audio of the action, not the video itself.

Editor's Note: The reason for this is that a majority of Region 3 schools voted against video streaming of the tournament for fear that it would hurt attendance. We completely disagree. We have proven that we provide a service to hundreds, even thousands of fans that will not or cannot attend games in-person. There are many die-hard sports fans that have never attended a game in-person but they will watch all the games on TV or a stream. We have more viewers than ever and there were more basketball fans packed into ECHS last week for the District Tournament than we have ever seen for a basketball game. While we strongly disagree that streaming hurts attendance, it is our duty to cooperate with other schools and officials. We hope that more outlets like us are willing to speak in favor of their content and provide information that may change this stance in the future. --Darren Doyle

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Despite a big third quarter run that held the Breckinridge County Lady Tigers to only two field goals, the Lady Cats' 2023 season came to and end tonight with a 44-36 loss to the Lady Tigers.

Breck jumped out to an 11-4 lead after the first quarter with the Lady Cats shooting only 2 for 10 from the field. Edmonson trailed 19-10 at the half with 14 turnovers.

Edmonson County stayed in the locker room up until a minute to go at the half. They started the third with a foul and then a turnover but quickly turned things around. After a bucket from Breckinridge, Edmonson County went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 23 with 1:45 left in the third, off an offensive rebound and put back from Lily Jayne Vincent. Breck ended the quarter with a 25-24 lead.

Cariann Williams tied the score at 27 on her bucket and foul. She made her free throw with 7:15 to go in the game. It was Williams again on a put back of a Lady Cat miss with 6:40 to go. Her basket gave the Lady Cats their first and only lead of the ballgame. Breck regained the lead on their next possession and stayed in front 1-3 points until Williams once again scored to get the Lady Cats with two points with just over a minute to go. The Lady Tigers were able to run the clock and hit their free throws down the stretch to hang on for the win. Breck hit 9 consecutive foul shots as the game began to wind down. They were 23 of 29 from the line while the Lady Cats only shot 7 free throws (4/7).

Coach Bart Weaver said the outcome obviously wasn't what they wanted but he was proud of the fight from the Lady Cats.

"I'm so proud of them, man," Weaver said. "Coming out like that in the third. We talked at halftime, we were down 8 or so, but an 18-10 halftime score? That's our basketball."

Breckinridge is known for their fast transition offense as they score around 56 points per game, compared to 44 from the Lady Cats.

"I told them, let's just make a run right here, let's get back in this thing a shot at a time," he said.

"Overall, I'm just so proud of them. Nobody thought we'd win district and we did that. Everybody wrote us off against Breck and we made a game out of it. It's hard on me because of the seniors. I can't say enough about them. They've been leaders, they've picked us up when we were down, they've just done a tremendous job for us and it's just hard to say goodbye, but that's what I'm going to have to do here in a minute."

It was the final game for five seniors: Lily Jayne Vincent (4 points), Annie Kiper (2), Callie Webb, (6), Emma White (3), and Karina Dennison.

Freshman Cariann Williams led Edmonson County in scoring with 19 points. She also grabbed 9 rebounds. Also scoring was Riley Roy with 2 points.

Edmonson County shot 43% from the field on 15 of 35 shooting.

The Lady Cats finish their season with a record of 22-8 and the 2023 District Champions. It is their 4th district title in the past 6 years, and their third under Head Coach Bart Weaver.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Edmonson County Lady Cats, the 2023 District 12 Champions, will travel to the Owensboro Sportscenter tonight to take on the Breckinridge County Lady Tigers with tip-off scheduled for 6PM.

Due to Region 3 regulations (with which we disagree), we are not allowed to video stream the game live. Live audio streams are permitted but the WildcatsLive crew has received permission to provide a "hybrid" audio/video broadcast.

We will carry a live stream on our YouTube Channel as we normally do; however, the live game feed will not be seen. The hosts will appear on camera during our normal pregame, halftime, and postgame shows, but we will only be able to show the scoreboard and game clock on screen while we call the play-by-play action. This will also be the case for the boys' game on Wednesday night.

We know this is not what most of our viewers prefer but it's the best we can provide with the regulations in place. We continue to lobby for all schools to be able to provide their own livestreams if they choose and we hope this changes in the future.

The absolute best way to watch the game is to attend in-person, and you can purchase your tickets here.

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
Four different Wildcats and two Lady Cat cheerleaders were given multiple awards tonight, after the ECHS Wildcats defeated the Butler County Bears in the 12th District Championship.

Lady Cat Cheer Seniors, Rylee Jones and Emily Meredith, were named to the All District Cheer Team.

Wildcat Senior Cam Campbell was named to the All Academic Team.

Seniors Braxton Highbaugh and Braden Wall were named to the All Season team, and the All Tournament Team. Junior Will Alexander was also named to the All Tournament Team.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Four Wildcats landed in double figures tonight with two of them scoring 20 or more in an 82-74 win over Butler County and the District 12 Championship game, which was hosted at Edmonson County High School this week.

Facing Butler County's high scoring guard Ty Price, who averages 31ppg this season and Lawson Rice (18ppg), and a very good defensive and rebounding team, Edmonson County had their work cut out for them. They split their matches this season, losing to the Bears in Morgantown a few weeks ago.

After a couple of made buckets by Butler County to start the game, Edmonson County took a 6-4 lead on a basket by Braxton Highbaugh with 4:48 left in the first quarter and the Wildcats would never trail again throughout the entire contest.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 19-10 start and led 36-25 at the half. Edmonson County led as much as 17 during the game and maintained a 13-16 point lead throughout. The Bears got hot in the fourth and sunk 8 three-pointers, cutting the lead to as much as 8 points, but that's as close as they would get, despite a 28-point performance from Price and three other Bears in double figures.

"A lot of times in games like this, it's sloppy," said Head Coach Brad Johnson. "I told them they played great. I told (coach) Calvin (Dockery) they played great, I thought that we played great. Heck, they kept throwing in shots, but we answered the call."

Coach Johnson said it was very special seeing his group of guys now being those that are a part of the banners hanging in the gym.

"I'm so proud that we had moments to fold a little bit, you know. I love seeing kids play together, love each other, and come together under pressure, and they really did that so much," said Johnson.

Highbaugh knocked on the door of a triple double, putting up 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. He also had 3 steals for the Wildcats. Will Alexander was a stellar 6 of 8 from behind the three-point line and scored 20. Tyler Anderson had 11 points and was 7 of 8 from the free throw line. Braden Wall had 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Also scoring for the Cats were Zander Bass and Boden Bates with 8 points each and Joshua Decker with 3 points.

Edmonson County out-rebounded the Bears 28-25 and shot 52% for the game, including 11 of 21 from behind the three-point line for 52%. Butler County shot 28-58 from the field for 48% and 51% on three-pointers on 18 of 35.

It is the first time in school history that the both the Wildcats and Lady Cats have won a district title in the same year. Experiencing it at home is even more special for the team, fans, school, and student body. The last title for the boys was claimed in 2017, which was the first one since the 1993 team.

The Wildcats are now 18-12 on the season and will play next week in the Region 3 Tournament in Owensboro. Drawing for the brackets for both boys and girls will take place tomorrow.

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
Three different Lady Cats received awards tonight after they defeated the Butler County Lady Bears in the 12th District Girls' Basketball Championship.

Senior Lily Jayne Vincent was given the All Academic Award.

Freshman CariAnn Williams and Senior Annie Kiper were named to the All Season team, along with All Tournament. Senior Lily Jayne Vincent was also named to the All Tournament Team.

Below is a slideshow of the Lady Cats celebrating with students, and each Lady Cat cutting their piece of the net.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Edmonson County Lady Cats claimed the District 12 Championship Thursday night after defeating the Butler County Lady Bears 50-33 at ECHS. It is the 7th title in school history and the third under Head Coach Bart Weaver (2019, 2020, 2023).

Coach Weaver laid out a very simple but difficult game plan, which was to hang close in rebounding, keep the turnovers under 15, hit free throws, and try to generate offense in transition. While the transition game wasn't bad, the turnovers were too high, and the free throw shooting was ok (8-13, 62%) Edmonson County found success in old fashioned give-and-goes and pick-and-rolls with senior Lily Jayne Vincent (13 points, 12 rebounds), senior Annie Kiper (13 points, 5 assists), and freshman Cariann Williams (13 points, 19 rebounds, 6 blocks).

Edmonson County has had little trouble with defense this year, as they are currently ranked 2nd in the state in defense, allowing just 33.5 points per game. They held Butler County to only 9 of 49 shooting (18%) and their second-lowest point total this season. The problem at times has been the Lady Cat offense, with usually only one team member or even less reaching double figures. The last two games, three different players have notched double figures and two accomplishing double-doubles.

The Lady Cats shot 18 of 44 for 41% shooting and was 6 for 18 from behind the arc. Edmonson County also dominated on the boards 44-20.

Coach Weaver said the most unique attribute of his team is the way they can prep for, and follow a game plan.

"I could tell they were ready to play way before the game started," he said. "I felt good about it. They knew where shooters were, they knew where (Jenna) Phelps was (15ppg)...and she's a great player. I told her at the end of the game, 'don't hang your head because you're a great player,' but listen, our girls just stuck with the game plan, and man, I love 'em to death."

Phelps finished with 14 points but they all seemed pretty quiet. Butler County failed to score a single field goal in the first quarter as the Lady Cats jumped out to an 11-0 lead. Edmonson led 17-2 at the end of the first and never led by less than 12 for the entire game.

Also scoring for the Lady Cats was Callie Webb with 6, Emma White with 3, and Riley Roy added 2.

It's the first District Championship for the Lady Cats since 2020 and the win gives them a record of 22-7 on the season. They have won five consecutive games and their last 10 out of 11. They will be scheduled to play either Monday or Tuesday night next week in Owensboro in the Region 3 tournament, which will be determined by a draw that will be held on Saturday.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle photos:
The Edmonson County Wildcats will advance to the District 12 finals after they defeated Grayson County Tuesday night 64-53 in a high-emotion, physical game in a packed out gym in Brownsville.

The Wildcats led 10-8 after the first quarter with mediocre shooting from the field (28%), but they held the Cougars to 22% shooting, with only two made field goals.

The Cougars took their first lead of the game on a three-pointer with three minutes to go in the second quarter to make the score 19-16. The Wildcats threw it away on their next possession, forcing Coach Brad Johnson into a timeout.

Grayson County scored again to go up 21-16 but then the Cats went on a 9-0 run to finish the half, capped off by a rebound by senior Caden Mills off a Grayson miss with seconds left. He was fouled on a deep three pointer as time expired and hit 2 of 3 free throws with no time on the clock as the teams entered the locker rooms at halftime.

The Wildcats took their largest lead of the game with 4:38 in the third on Braxton Highbaugh's three-pointer in the corner to make it 37-21. The shot ended a 21-0 run that began as the second quarter wound down.

Emotions ran high with 4:52 left in the ballgame with the Cats up 49-39 as a Grayson County fan began to shout at Wildcat Head Coach Brad Johnson from behind the Edmonson bench as Grayson County prepared to shoot a free throw. Coach Johnson responded to the fan by telling him to stop yelling and ECHS Principal came over to instruct the fan to sit down. Another fan then ran down from the bleachers onto the floor, making physical contact with Williams. Williams simply put his arm out to keep the fan away from Johnson. Law enforcement immediately intervened and subdued the unruly fan and led him out of the gym with his hands behind his back. The fan that first created the scene was also escorted out right behind him.

"I hate it that it got ugly there with a fan," Coach Johnson said. "A fan on the bottom row was just screaming in my face and I turned around and I just said 'you're not going to scream at me,' you know, because he's not… I just said 'hey, quit screaming at me,' you know? Because I'm trying to coach and we wouldn't let our people scream at (Grayson County Head Coach) Travis (Johnston). And Travis, we're good--we're friends, and (Coach) Mac, Lord have mercy, I love Mac..."

An Edmonson County fan was also asked to leave for coming onto the court during the incident.

Grayson County came no closer than 8 points as the Wildcats held on to win.

Highbaugh led the Wildcats with 21 points and 13 rebounds and Wall finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Will Alexander added 9 points, Caden Mills and Zander Bass had 6 points each, and Tyler Anderson added 3 points.

"I did not want these guys' careers to end here tonight. We won't play relaxed Friday night, but kinda, the pressure's off," Johnson added. "Now it's fun. We know we're in the (region) tournament and heck, we're 4 or 5 games from playing in Rupp Arena and we're going to try to beat everyone we play."

The Butler County Bears advanced over the Trinity Raiders 67-64 last night and will meet the Wildcats in the finals on Friday night with a scheduled tip at 7PM.

The Lady Cats will also face Butler County for the district championship on Thursday night, also scheduled for 7PM.

The Wildcats are now 17-12 on the year as Grayson County ends their season at 9-20.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Lady Cats followed the game plan laid out by the coaching staff, toughened up, and easily took care of Grayson County in the first round of the District 12 Tournament on Monday, February 20, 2023 at Edmonson County High School.

With leading as much as 30 points in the second half, the Lady Cats found success by pushing the ball in transition, driving to the basket, and getting the ball down low. Their defense wasn't bad, either, as they held Grayson to 27% shooting from the field.

The Lady Cats also dominated the Lady Cougars on the boards, out-rebounding them 35-20. Edmonson's turnovers were very manageable at 10, with Grayson County's at 11.

The Lady Cats shot 45% from the field on 21 of 47, 31% from behind the three-point line, and 69% from the free throw line on 20 of 29 shots.

"It was imperative to come out and get a good start," said Head Coach Bart Weaver. "And let them know that we're here to mean business and not just come out and hang your hat on that last big win we had against them. That's what we kept preaching and kept saying. Those games are over. This is a new season and I was just really proud of how the way we came out ready to play and pretty much stuck with the game plan. We gave up some drives there when we shouldn't, because we were so worried about some of their three-point shooters, and that's understandable, and if you have to pick your poison, I'll pick layup over a three."

Grayson County was 3 of 8 from the three point line for 37.5% shooting. They did not score on a single field goal in the first quarter and had only made two at the half. Edmonson County reached a new season-high in points scored with 66.

It took the Lady Cats about the half of the first quarter to get rid of some jitters but eventually began to get to the rim as they led 13-1 after one quarter.

Lily Jayne Vincent led the Lady Cats with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Cariann Williams had 17 points and 5 rebounds, Callie Webb had 10 points, Jenna Cook added 5 points and 5 rebounds, Riley Roy had 4 points and 7 rebounds, Annie Kiper had 4 points, Kennadi Swihart had 3, and Emma White and Shelby Sowders had 2 points each.

The win secures their spot in the Region 3 tournament that will be held in Owensboro next week, but the fight for the district championship on Thursday night is the focus. They will take on Butler County on Thursday night at 7PM for the title. The Lady Bears (19-9) will likely be a much tougher opponent in the finals. They defeated the Lady Cats twice during the regular season.

Edmonson County is now 21-7 on the year and Grayson County ends their season with a record of 11-17.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The comeback effort was something to see in Butler County in a near-packed gym as Edmonson County clawed their way back from a 17-point deficit to take the lead late in the third quarter, but the effort fell just short as Butler County held on to win 66-63.

The Wildcats went on a 28-10 run from the end of the third throughout the the fourth to take a 51-50 lead with just over 4 minutes to go, but Ty Price, leading scorer for the Bears figured out a way to get to the free throw line. Price, who led all scorers with 40, made 12 of 13 free throws in the final minutes to keep the momentum away from the Wildcats.

Edmonson County's Wil Alexander, who paced the Cats with 19 on 5 of 10 shooting (4/7 from three) gave Edmonson a boost down the stretch but Price's free throws continued to dash out the hopes of Edmonson County's full comeback effort.

"Price is a great player," said Coach Brad Johnson. "Our goal when we play him is to make him make contested shots and I feel like we made him make those contested shots. He made shots with people draped all over him all night, so I feel like we did a good job at that."

When down 17, Coach Johnson said the key to coming back was simply making shots when they hadn't been.

"We made shots. We played terrible the other night (against Allen County Scottsville) and couldn't knock down shots and we played very nervous tonight and couldn't knock down a shot. Everything was long and a nervous shot, but we settled in..."

"And credit to our kids. I didn't think we had any bad body language, I thought we kept fighting, stayed positive with each other, and I think this team has it's best game still ahead of it."

Also scoring for the Cats was Braden Wall with 12 and 11 rebounds, Caden Mills with 10, Braxton Highbaugh with 8 and 9 rebounds, Tyler Anderson with 5, Boden Bates with 4, and Zander Bass added 2.

Edmonson County shot 47% from the field on 23 of 49 and was 7 of 21 from behind the three point line for 33%. They were also 10 of 13 from the free throw line. Butler County shot 43% on 20 for 47 from the field and shot 17 of 19 from the free throw line for 89% as a team.

Edmonson is now 15-11 on the season and 4-2 in district play. They are scheduled to take on Russellville on the road on Tuesday.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Lady Cats fell to Butler County tonight in Morgantown as the Lady Bears clinched the top seed in the upcoming district tournament. Butler County won 46-35.

The Lady Cats jumped out to an 11-3 start in the first quarter, holding the Lady Bears to 1 for 10 shooting; however, Butler County responded by shooting 8 for 10 in the second quarter and took a 21-18 lead at the half.

The Lady Cats got a couple back in the third quarter and trailed 30-31 going into the fourth. Butler County pulled away down the stretch and secured the win the in the final minute and a half.

Coach Bart Weaver said it came down to struggling on the offensive end, as they have much of this season.

"I really thought the game got physical after the first quarter and we just didn't respond very well," he said. "Whether it was referee'd or officiated right, I don't know but they were letting it get really physical and we kind of took a step back. That was discouraging. We were up 11-3 and we had a runout but I called a timeout because we had a girl on her knees and I was trying to save the possession, but it seemed like after that, it went downhill."

Weaver said sometimes you just have to credit the other team.

"I'm going to give all the credit to Butler. They outplayed us," he said. "They wanted it more. They outplayed us, they out-coached us, out-whatever-us."

Edmonson County falls to 17-7 on the season and 4-2 in district play. Butler County improved to 17-8 and 6-0 in district.

The Lady Cats are scheduled to take on Russell County tomorrow at home at 3PM. Next week will be the end of the regular season with district tournament play starting Monday, February 20th.

Scoring for the Lady Cats was Annie Kiper with 8, Cariann Willams with 7 and 8 rebounds, Callie Webb had 6, Lily Vincent had 4 and 9 rebounds, Kennadi Swihart had 4, Emma White had 3, Jenna Cook had 3, and Riley Roy added 1.

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
This morning, Edmonson County High School Senior Callie Webb signed with Campbellsville University to further her softball career.

ECHS Principal Jonathan Williams thanked the crowd for coming to celebrate Callie, and shared a story about her. Webb suffered an ACL tear in December of 2021, and had surgery in 2022.

Principal Williams said "Callie faced that injury with the same tenacity and the same determination that I first saw her play with when I first became the principal here. She beat every timeline and pushed every limit." Williams went on to add that while Webb was recovering and making progress, he would sometimes ask her, "Are you sure you're supposed to be doing this yet?" to which she would always reply, "Yes, I think I can do this." Williams said all of her hard work and determination is what has led her to this moment and he is "incredibly proud."

Lady Cat Softball Head Coach Alex Jane Massey also spoke on Webb's character. "When I first became the coach here, it didn't take me long at all to see what kind of player Callie was," she said with emotion. "Her hard work, determination, and teamwork is something that every coach wants." Coach Massey shared that every year at the beginning of the softball season, she has her players write down a short-term and long-term goal, and at the end of the season the players get them back and see if they have accomplished what they have written. Massey said that every year for the last few years, Webb has written that she wants to play softball at Campbellsville University as her long term goal, where Massey also played. She congratulated Webb on taking these next steps. "Callie, I have seen your hard work, your devotion to your team, your family, and most importantly your faith. Take that with you and I have no doubt you will be successful," Massey said.

"We've had several good players come out of Edmonson County as Coach Massey eluded to and we're excited to have another one come join us," said Campbellsville Softball Head Coach Shannon Wathen. "The most important things we look for is someone who is going to compete at a high level, someone who is strong in their faith, and someone who is a good teammate. Other things we can work on and practice on, but those qualities right there are what we think is the most important to have, and we are pretty sure Callie has that and we are so excited to have her become a Tiger."

Webb said she wanted to thank all of her friends, family, and coaches who have helped her get to this point, but most importantly to her, she said she wanted to thank God for blessing her with this opportunity. "After my injury I didn't know if I would be able to get to do this, but here I am and I am just so thankful. It's been a long journey and I am so blessed that it led me here, I have wanted to play at Campbellsville ever since I picked up a softball for the first time. I couldn't be more grateful, and I love everybody here."

Edmonson Voice Sports:
Both the Wildcats and Lady Cats picked up road wins on Monday night as each traveled to different schools as the regular season winds down.

The girls traveled to Caverna where they won 55-28, led by sophomore Riley Roy with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lady Cats dominated the glass with 41 team rebounds, compared to Caverna's 12. Edmonson shot 40% from the field on 21 of 53 and was 4 of 10 from three-point range. Edmonson County held Caverna to 22% shooting on 10 of 45 from the field. Caverna's Kaliana Richardson scored 21 points but the rest of the team was held to a combined total of 7.

Also scoring for the Lady Cats were Annie Kiper with 13, Kennadi Swihart had 9, Jenna Cook had 5, Cariann Williams had 4, while Emma White, Lily Jayne Vincent, Chaney Browning, and Shelby Sowders had 2 each. Callie Webb also added one point.

It's the 5th win in a row for the Lady Cats and they are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are scheduled to play Butler County away on Friday in a must-win situation for a chance for the number one seed in the upcoming district tournament.

Edmonson County's boys also grabbed another win last night, on the road against Allen County-Scottsville.

The Cats overcame some untimely turnovers and defensive breakdowns to pull away from the Patriots (4-18) in the fourth quarter and win 67-54.

The Wildcats were led in scoring by Braxton Highbaugh, who put up 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Braden Wall had 11, Tyler Anderson had 9, Will Alexander had 7, Boden Bates had 6, Tyler Vincent and Noah Meredith had 3 each, and Zander Bass, Caden Mills, and Joshua Decker all had 2 points each.

The Wildcats have now won four consecutive games and are 7-3 in their last 10 contests. They are scheduled to take on Green County tonight at home in a JV/V match beginning at 5:30PM.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Edmonson County played catch-up all night against the Trinity Raiders from Whitesville until about 1:45 left in the contest. Trailing 33-34, Wildcat senior Zander Bass stole a Trinity pass, took it to the rim and missed, but got his own rebound and scored on the put-back to give the Wildcats their first lead of the ballgame.

Bass was fouled on the play and missed his free throw, however, the Wildcats rebounded the miss and Braxton Highbaugh was fouled on his shot attempt. Highbaugh, who scored a team-high 16 points (8rebs) and was a perfect 7-7 from the line, stepped up and knocked down both foul shots to give the Cats a 37-34 lead with 1:33 to play.

After a couple of made free throws on the next play by Trinity with the Cats leading 37-36, Edmonson County threw the ball away and the Raiders regained the lead at 38-37 on layup with just over a minute to go. Highbaugh's three-point attempt was no good but as a Trinity player grabbed the rebound, Highbaugh ripped the ball right out of his hands and a Raider player kicked the ball as Highbaugh attempted to dribble out of traffic, which resulted in Wildcats' ball with 52 seconds to go. 

Highbaugh drove the lane, pulled up for a jumper, but dumped it down last second to a wide-open Braden Wall under the basket for an easy bucket. The Cats retook the lead with 45 seconds to go, 39-38. Trinity could not convert on the other end and the ball was rebounded by Wall for Edmonson County. He was fouled on the play and hit 1 of 2 free throws with 16 seconds to go.

With Edmonson leading 40-38, Trinity missed a three-point attempt and Wildcat Will Alexander was fouled on the rebound. He also hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4.7 seconds remaining for an Edmonson 41-38 lead. Trinity had to launch a desperation shot from half court that fell short and Zander Bass rebounded the shot for a Wildcat victory.

The Wildcats responded big in the third quarter after trailing 24-16 at the half. Coach Brad Johnson said the halftime discussion was serious and challenged his team to step up in the second half.

"I trust the assistants in guiding me and giving me advice and I said 'do I need to go off on them at halftime?' and they said 'yeah, go ahead,' so I blew a few veins out in my forehead, I peeled the paint, and managed to miss everybody with the water bottle I threw, so all was good there," he said with a smile. "But I challenged them and said 'they're kinda pushing us around,' and I thought they responded to that. Braxton Highbaugh, nobody's going to push him around. He responded and made plays there. You know, we didn't play great. We didn't shoot great, but give (Trinity) credit. Their physicality--a really good team, a really good team. They're a veteran team and we may see them again."

In addition to Highbaugh's 16, Wall had 10 points and 6 rebounds, Tyler Anderson had 6 points, Bass had 4, Alexander had 3, and Boden Bates added 2.

Edmonson County was 44% from the field on 25 of 37 shooting, 2 of 13 from three-point, and 11 of 18 from the free throw line for 61%.

The Wildcats are now 13-9 on the season and 4-1 in district play. Trinity has lost their last 5 games and are 2-3 in the district.

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The Lady Cats had little trouble with the Trinity Lady Raiders last night at ECHS, as they went on to win their third consecutive game and their sixth out of their last seven, 53-27.

While the senior stepped up on senior night, it was freshman Cariann Williams who led Edmonson County again in scoring and rebounding. The 6'2" Williams put up 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

Defense from Edmonson County was once again key, holding the Lady Raiders to only 21% shooting from the field on 9/41 shooting. Trinity also got pounced on the boards, as the Lady Cats grabbed 33 team rebounds, compared to 15 for Trinity.

The Lady Cats jumped out to a 14-5 lead after the first quarter and held Trinity to only 3 points in the second as Edmonson led 27-8 at the half.

Going into last night's game, Coach Weaver said he wanted his team to improve on their transition offense and out-of-bounds plays.

"When you get into tournament play, two or three fast break points or an out-of-bounds play may be the difference in the ballgame," he said. "We really take pride, especially now, in our out-of-bounds stuff. I think we scored 8 points off out-of-bounds plays and my goal is 10 points. Sometimes you don't get it but sometimes you get it or go over it, and our transition has gotten better in the last few weeks and we've really, really worked on it."

While Trinity has struggled this season with a record of only 2-19, Edmonson County wanted to set the tone early after struggling against the Lady Raiders in the first half during their first match up in Whitesville a few weeks ago. Edmonson's Williams was held to only 4 points in that game. Last night, Williams was 3/4 from the field and 6/8 from the free throw line.

Coach Weaver also credited his seniors for this year's success, which included Callie Webb (10pts, 4 rebs), Annie Kiper (8pts, 6rebs), Lily Jayne Vincent (8pts, 6 rebs), Emma White (4pts), and Karina Dennison (4pts).

Also scoring was Riley Roy with 4 and Kennadi Swihart with 3.

Edmonson County shot 17 of 46 from the field for 37%, they were 5/19 in three-point shooting (26%), and they were 14 of 21 from the free throw line (66%).

The Lady Cats are now 15-6 on the season and 4-1 in District 12 play. They must beat Butler County (16-6, 5-0) on the road next week to have a shot at the number one seed for the district tournament, which would then be determined by a coin toss.

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The Edmonson County Wildcats took a 7-5 lead early in the first quarter and remained in charge from that point on. They never trailed again as they cruised to a 58-42 win at ECHS on Friday night.

Led by senior Braden Wall with 25 points, the Wildcats consistently broke down the defense from Grayson County and were able to find points on dribble-drives and easy layups, while also shooting 6 of 15 from behind the three-point line.

The Cats led 14-8 after the first quarter and had extended their lead to 29-15 at halftime. Grayson County tried to put a dent into things through the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, but the Wildcats kept their composure and responded to Grayson's offense with more of their own. The Cats led by as much as 20 late in the game.

Edmonson shot 54% from the field on 28 of 52 shooting and held Grayson County to the Cougars' second-lowest point total on their season. The Wildcats also won the rebounding battle.

Braxton Highbaugh had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Will Alexander had 9 points, Zander Bass had 4, Boden Bates had 3, and Caden Mills added 2.

The Wildcats improve to 12-9 on the season and are 3-1 in district play, which is currently the best record. Both Trinity and Butler County are tied at 2-2 and Grayson County is 1-3, with their only district win coming from an upset against Trinity at home last week. Edmonson lost to Trinity on the road with the Raiders cruising to a 58-42 win on January 13th.

Edmonson County is scheduled to play next on Tuesday, January 31st at home against Breckinridge County (8-12) in a JV/V match beginning at 5:30PM.

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The Lady Cats dominated the Lady Cougars of Grayson County in every way last night in a 38-14 Edmonson County at ECHS.

They out-rebounded Grayson County 27-13, shot 43% from the field on 13 of 30 shooting, made all 8 of their free throws, and held Grayson County to a season low 14 points and 16% shooting from the field. The Lady Cougars made only 5 field goals all night and were held completely scoreless in the third quarter.

The Lady Cats jumped out to an 11-2 lead after the first, led 20-7 at the half, and 26-7 after three.

They were led by freshman Cariann Williams who scored 15 and grabbed 8 rebounds. Callie Webb and Riley Roy each scored 5, Emma White, Jenna Cook, and Kennadi Swihart each had 3, and Annie Kiper and Lily Jayne Vincent had 2 points each.

Edmonson County improves to 14-6 on the season and 3-1 in district play. Their one loss comes from Butler County, who will be the other contender for the number one seed. The Lady Cats have two more district games remaining: one against Butler County on the road and Trinity at home. They must win both to have a chance at the top seed. With two wins and a Butler County loss, Edmonson and Butler will be tied 5-1 in the district. A coin toss would determine the number one seed.

Their next game is scheduled on the road at North Hardin on January 31st.

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With a nearly packed-out gym at Edmonson County High School for the 2023 basketball homecoming, the Wildcats took the floor with authority, as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back in a 69-64 win over district rival Butler County.

Facing Butler County's offensive threats Ty Price, a sophomore guard that averages 30 points per game, and Lawson Rice, a sophomore forward good for 19 points per game, Edmonson County's game plan was to focus on fundamental basketball and not get caught up in a big game atmosphere, or who is scoring what.

The Wildcats did just that with solid defense and rebounding. They held the Bears' scoring stars to 25 and 14, respectively. While 39 points is still plenty of offense for two players, it's ten points lower than their combined averages, which could've been the difference in the game.

"They have two great players and we just wanted Price to work for everything he got--kind of 'kill the legs' and make him work for it," said Head Coach Brad Johnson. "I feel like we did that. If a guy makes a fade away in your face with you hand up, you know, good shot, man, and go the other way. We handled late-game situations better, but still threw it away a little bit. I told them before the game--what an atmosphere. One month from now in the district tournament, we're going to play better than we play tonight, but let's play better than we play tonight. We haven't played our best game yet."

Coach Johnson said free throw shooting must improve in order to be a late-season quality team and the Wildcats missed several opportunities late in the game. It allowed Butler County to close the scoring gap in the final minute, which made the game much closer than it actually was throughout the contest. The Cats shot only 44% from the line on 11 of 25 shooting.

From the field, shooting was a different story for the Cats. They shot 62% from the floor on 26 of 42 shooting and made 6 out of 12 from behind the arc (50%). They out-rebounded the Bears and took advantage of beating them down the floor in transition for several easy layups. While Price still put up 25 points for Butler County, they were spread out and relatively quiet for the game.

The Wildcats committed 17 turnovers, but Coach Johnson said that while that looks bad on paper, it's not as bad as it seems.

"When I used to press and play up and down the whole game, a reporter said to me once, "coach, you turned it over 17 times," but I said, "did you see how many times the game went up and down the floor?" There were so many possessions in that game that there's opportunities to make turnovers. But I get it, we can't make that many, and heck, we got caught up in the action and threw the ball over our heads a couple of times. So there's stuff to clean up. When you get a win, you can watch the negative stuff, you don't have to pound 'em on the back and build 'em back up. When you win, you get to play out the negatives, so we'll fix it."

Coach said that there is no rest for the weary and their schedule is difficult for a reason, and that's for the purpose of playing their best basketball during the postseason.

"We should be built 'Ford-tough' by the end of the year with the gantlet we've been through, so hopefully, that's the way it's going to work out."

It was a team effort by the Wildcats, with four players in double figures and one with a double-double.

Will Alexander led with 15 points and 7 rebounds, Braden Wall had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Braxton Highbaugh had 12 points, Tyler Anderson had 10, Zander Bass had 8, Caden Mills had a big 7 points off the bench, and Boden Bates had 3.

Edmonson County is now 11-8 on the season and 2-1 in District 12 play. They are scheduled to travel to Todd County Central on Monday for a JV/V match beginning at 6PM.

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While their defense kept them in the game and limited Butler County to a season-low 25 points, the Lady Cats' offense couldn't get going, which resulted in only 21 points of offense, also a season-low.

"When you hold somebody to 25 points, you're supposed to win," said Head Coach Bart Weaver. "We just couldn't put it in the hole. I don't know, but I bet we missed about 10 layups."

While turnovers were lower than average (10), out-rebounding the Lady Bears, and being able to considerably slow down the pace of the game, the slow offense wouldn't allow the Lady Cats to gain any momentum, playing catch up for the majority of the contest.

Scoring was led by Annie Kiper and Jenna Cook with 5 points each, Riley Roy added 4, and Lily Jayne Vincent, Cariann Williams, Callie Webb, and Kennadi Swihart added 2 points each.

"We just gotta regroup," Weaver said. "Listen, the rest of our schedule is set up, it's winnable--every game, and it's also lose-able every game. If you look at our schedule, from now on, it's pretty tough and you can win 'em or lose 'em. So we've got to have a mindset next week of playing Clinton (County) and getting that momentum back for the Grayson game on Friday."

The Lady Cats are now 12-6 on the season and 2-1 in district play, with wins over Grayson County and Trinity. They are scheduled to travel to Clinton County on January 24th and another district match next Friday as they host Grayson County.