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The Wildcats faced a very aggressive Trinity Raiders team Tuesday night, January 30th at the 2018 Basketball Homecoming, but a team effort and execution of a solid game plan worked as the Cats knocked off their district opponent 74-65.

The point total for each team was dead even for three out of four quarters: 12-12 in the first, 16-16 in the third, and 23-23 in the fourth, but a big 15-0 run in the second quarter proved to be the surge that tipped the scales for Edmonson County.

Prior to the game, Coach Mike McClintic said there were three main factors for EC that would play major roles in the outcome of the game: 1. fewer turnovers, 2. more rebounds, and 3. matching Trinity's intensity and then going beyond.

The Wildcats fell just short of the rebounding margin (30-28) but made up for that by way of turnovers. They had 18 of them compared to Trinity's 27. Eight of the Raiders' turnovers happened in the second quarter where Edmonson County made their big run. They took a 35-27 lead going into the half and that would be the same scoring difference at the final buzzer. The intensity was the same for three quarters, but the Cats amped it up during the second.

"At times, our defense really pressured them," said Assistant Coach Bart Weaver. "We trapped a lot and forced them into a lot, but I told Mac before the game that this is how it's going to be every time with these district games for the rest of the year...If you're a four-seed you've got just as good of a chance to win the district tournament as the number one-seed, and I really think that."

Seniors led the way for the Wildcats as Logan Lindsey topped Edmonson County in scoring with 21 points. Point guard Tucker Cole was key for Edmonson County as he put up 14 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, 1 blocked shot, and only 2 turnovers. Lindsey and Cole were also a combined 7 out of 8 from the free throw line.

Weaver said he was happy to see the large crowd at the homecoming game including a packed student section. He said he could tell a positive difference in his players as a result of the crowd.

"They were pumped up from this crowd here at this big district game. This crowd really excited them and that's a great thing." 

In addition to Lindsey and Cole, two other Wildcats landed in double figures: Chaz Wilson scored 13 and Dalton Decker added 12. Logan Minton scored 5, while Ryan Lindsey and J.T. Vincent scored 2 points each.

Edmonson County is now 7-15 on the season and will take on Grayson County on Friday, February 2 at home in a girl/boy doubleheader. Girls' tip is set for 6pm. The game will be broadcast live via the WildcatsLive audio stream. No video will be available. 

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Edmonson County Lady Cats continued their success with another win last night at ECHS; this one against district foe Trinity, and on homecoming night.

Three out of four young ladies named to the annual homecoming court were Lady Cat basketball team members, including senior Abby Alexander, who was named queen; however, before flowers and crowns were passed around, these Lady Cats had to take care of some business first, and they did by way of defeating the Lady Raiders, 56-45.

Led by senior Caitlin Simon, who scored 18 points, pulled 5 rebounds, and swiped 2 steals, the Lady Cats struggled with their shots in the first and missed several open jumpers and failed to connect on easy baskets around the rim. They managed to take a 13-9 lead going into the second quarter.

The second was a different story and it set the tone for the rest of the game as Edmonson County shored up their well-known defensive pressure, caused several turnovers on Trinity, and turned the Lady Raider mishaps into points. The Lady Cats outscored Trinity 18-9 in the quarter and took a 31-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The versatility of senior point guard Peyton Martin also was key in the victory as she also impressed with 16 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals. 

Edmonson County continued to force turnovers in the third quarter and held Trinity to only two points as they extended their lead over the Lady Raiders 48-20 as they began the fourth.

The Lady Cats went on to win as they improved to 20-4 on the season and will face another district opponent on Friday as Grayson County travels to ECHS for one of two more district 12 games left on the season. 

Also scoring for Edmonson County was Madison Harrison with 6, Emma Rose Vincent with 6, Katlin Collins scored 3, Abby Alexander, Lauren Ballance, and Mia Goad each scored 2 points, and Katie Lindsey added 1.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Murray High School Lady Tigers became the third top five, state-ranked team to play the Lady Cats this season, and they simply had too many weapons for Edmonson County to handle. 

Murray's defense held Edmonson County's two leading scorers, Caitlin Simon and Peyton Martin to a season low 15 total points. They shot nearly 50% from the field, including 10 of 23 three pointers. It was also the 5th game in 8 days for the Lady Cats. As good as the Lady Cats have been all year, Murray was better today.

"I don't want to leave here with a bad taste in our mouth," said coach Kevin Jackson. "We ran into a really, really good Murray High School team and that's why they're ranked fourth in the state. We've played the number one, number two, and now number four team in the state this year, and they beat us by more than 20 points, but I think those are the only types of teams that are going to beat us like that."

The Lady Cats fell behind early in the first as a result of 80% three-point shooting from the Lady Tigers. They trailed 20-10 after one. Even though Edmonson turned up defensive pressure on the three pointer, Murray was still able to score on short range jumpers in the second and the Lady Cats trailed 33-14 at halftime.

Murray outscored the Lady Cats 18-6 in the third quarter to take a 51-20 lead into the fourth. Even as the deficit grew past 30 points, Edmonson County continued their exhausting effort.

"We're going to learn from this and I really think we got something out of that fourth quarter," said Jackson. "I called timeout and told them I wanted to get something positive out of this quarter, not just go through the motions, and I think we did."

He agreed that Murray was "the real deal," and coming up with ways to beat them wasn't easy. "They have so many different weapons and they shoot the ball so well."

Edmonson County scored 12 points in the final quarter but it wasn't enough as they fell 67-32 in the All A State Classic as a semifinalist. While not the end result for which the Lady Cats had hoped, it's the first time in school's history for girls' basketball making the tournament.

"I want everybody at home to know how good the kids are that are representing Edmonson County," said Jackson. "Whether it was in restaurants, back at the hotel, or in the arena, I kept hearing about how well our kids were behaved. When you take 15, 16, 17 year old kids on the road, you never know what you're going to get anymore. With this group, we know. You're going to get well behaved kids and I'm proud of them."

Also scoring for the Lady Cats was Emma Rose Vincent, who led Edmonson County with 10 points and 6 rebounds, Lauren Ballance had 5 points and 7 rebounds, Madison Harrison had 3, and Katlin Collins and Mia Goad each had 2.

Seniors Simon and Martin were both named to the All-Tournament Team, and the Lady Cats were presented a semi-finalist trophy.

Edmonson County is now 19-4 on the season, which is the best record in the third region. They are scheduled to take on Trinity on Tuesday night at home in a girl/boy match beginning at 6pm. It will be the annual basketball homecoming with festivities taking place between games.

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A six-game winning streak from the West Carter Lady Comets was stopped by the Edmonson County Lady Cats in round two of the All A State Classic today in a game that went down to the final seconds at Eastern Kentucky University.

Led by senior Peyton Martin, who finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, Edmonson County pulled off the 63-59 win, as the Lady Cats found a way to slow down West Carter's three-point arsenal while battling Lady Comet pressure.

"We had a pretty good gameplan going in," said Coach Kevin Jackson. "We pushed the ball a little more than we did the last few games. I thought we got more transition baskets, got some good looks, got to the free throw line. We came out on their three-point shooters to shut down their threes. I thought our kids did everything we asked them to."

West Carter started off with three, 3-pointers that put them up early. Jackson was forced to call a first quarter timeout to regroup. The Lady Cats responded by allowing only four more threes for the entire game. The Lady Comets' full court pressure was broken by Edmonson County time and again, which allowed some easy Lady Cat buckets.

Edmonson had gained a 36-24 lead at the half and held a 46-39 lead going into the final quarter. 

West Carter turned up the defensive pressure and forced some Lady Cat turnovers in the fourth. The Lady Comets were able to turn them into scoring opportunities, which included two, 3-point plays. The Lady Comets tied the score for the first time since the first quarter on 8th grader Allie Stone's bucket at 57 with 40.8 seconds to go. A Lady Cat turnover allowed West Carter to get the ball back and a chance for the lead.

Immediately after the West Carter inbound pass, Martin stole the ball, dribbled the length of the court, made the basket and drew the foul. She completed the three-point play to put the Lady Cats up 60-57. The Lady Comets drew the foul on their next possession and made two free throws to narrow EC's lead to 60-59 with 19.1 seconds remaining.

Caitlin Simon was immediately fouled on the inbound pass and knocked down two free throws to extend Edmonson's lead back to 62-59. West Carter missed a three pointer on their next possession and the ball was rebounded by Peyton Martin who was immediately fouled. She hit one of two free throws and time expired as West Carter put up a long three for a final score of 63-59.

Martin led the Lady Cats in scoring for the third straight night as the Lady Comets became the third team in a row to double team Simon the entire game. They held her to 14 points--10 under her average--but Martin was quick to credit her teammates for the victory.

"Yes, they are shutting her down, but other girls are stepping up, and I guess that's one of my roles right now for the team," she said. 

Simon is only averaging around 12 points per game over the last three contests, half of her season's average, but still contributing on all other aspects of the game. She also finished today's game with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. She nailed two crucial foul shots in the final seconds.

Not only scoring, but dishing out assists and rebounding are also being done by Martin.

"It's not all me," she said. "Our post players are blocking out the bigger ones and that's opened me up to get the ball."

In addition to Martin and Simon, who never came out of the game, two other Lady Cats finished in double figures. Chanley Logsdon and Katlin Collins each had 10 points. Emma Rose Vincent scored 7, Madison Harrison had 2, and Lauren Ballance scored 1.

Edmonson County shot 50% from three point range and 48% for the game. They hit 19 of 23 free throws for 83%. 

They improve to 19-3 on the season and will take on Murray High School Saturday at 12:30 CST. The Edmonson Voice will carry the game on both video and audio streams. You can watch the video of today's game by visiting the WildcatsLive page on EdmonsonVoice.com.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
After a slow start in round one of the All A State Classic, the Edmonson County Lady Cats battled back and advanced in a 49-44 win over Monroe County, the defending All A state champs.

Monroe County was hot early and found success with dribble penetration. The Lady Cats, who currently rate #2 in the state in total field goal percentage at 50.1%, were only 4 of 14 from the field during the first and trailed 14-8 after one quarter.

The Lady Falcons scored the first six points of the second quarter and Edmonson County found themselves with a 17-8 deficit with five minutes left in the half. The Lady Cats turned up the defensive pressure and answered with a 10-1 run that tied the game at 18-all with 1:27 to go in the second. After a couple of exchanged buckets, including a layup by Martin to give EC their first lead, Monroe banked in shot at the buzzer to tie the score at 22-22 at halftime.

Monroe County doubled down on Lady Cat leading scorer Caitlin Simon, which held her to 13 points. Peyton Martin filled the scoring void for the second game in a row, leading the Lady Cats with 22 points, including two big three pointers in the third quarter. The Lady Cats led 32-30 going into final quarter.

The Lady Cats defense once again held the Lady Falcons in the fourth, outscoring them 17-14. Edmonson County hit their free throws during the last minute and a half to hold on for the five-point win.

Coach Kevin Jackson said although the Lady Cats didn't have one of their best performances, being able to win showed what kind of team they really were.

"This team just has something about them, a little talent, a little grit, and they find a way to win. When you play one of your worst games and still win by five, six points, there's something to be said for those kind of kids," he said.

Jackson said he was proud of the fact that the Lady Cats overcame their early deficit, which could have quickly gotten out of hand.

"I felt very fortunate to be tied at the half with the way we played early. We all felt pretty good coming out for the second half."

Martin's performance was big for the second game in a row. Her 22 points tied her for the #4 spot on the all-time Lady Cat scoring list. 

"Peyton Martin hit a couple of big threes there that kind of relaxed everyone there," said Jackson. "Caitlin had good shots, they just didn't go in."

​Jackson also said Martin's confidence is increasing as the season goes on, something that he's been trying to help her with for several months. "She's such a team player that she sees they're trying to stop Caitlin so bad that she has to step up."

In addition to Martin and Simon, Katlin Collins and Chanley Logsdon scored 4 each, while Lauren Ballance and Emma Rose Vincent scored 2 points apiece. 

Edmonson County improves to 18-3 on the season and is scheduled to take on West Carter (17-2) on Friday at 10:30am CST. The game will be available on both audio and video streams from the Edmonson Voice.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Edmonson County fell behind early against Metcalfe County at ECHS on Tuesday night, much in part to the Hornets' hot shooting in the first, but rallied in the second quarter to take control of the game.

Metcalfe hit their first six shots of the game, including three 3-pointers, but alternating defenses and changing of presses from the Wildcats forced several Hornet turnovers that Edmonson converted into points. They trailed 18-11 in the first but outscored Metcalfe 21-6 in the second to take a 32-24 lead at the half, capped off by Tucker Cole's three pointer at the buzzer.

The Wildcats continued to add to the lead in the third and extended the gap to 48-31. Edmonson came out on top 66-48 for their 6th win of the season.

J.T. Vincent led the Cats in scoring with 14, Logan Lindsey and Tucker Cole (7 stls) each had 13, and Logan Minton had 10, which made the fourth Wildcat in double figures. Also scoring was Dalton Decker with 9, Ryan Lindsey and Brayden Carey each scored 2, and Chaz Wilson added 1.

Tuesday's home game against Metcalfe County will no longer be a girl/boy doubleheader, due to the girls winning the All A Region 3 Championship on Sunday, January 22nd, according to ECHS athletic director Kyle Pierce.

On Tuesday, the girls will travel to Eastern KY University in Richmond, where the All A State games will be played. Edmonson County is scheduled to take on Monroe County at 5:30pm central time. The Metcalfe County game will instead be a JV/Varsity match beginning at 5:30pm. 

Depending on the outcome of Wednesday's game, this Friday's game at Butler County could also be changed. 

The basketball homecoming has been postponed. No decision has been made for a reschedule date.

The January 19th games against Trinity have been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 30th for a girl/boy doubleheader beginning at 6pm.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The size and strength of Owensboro Catholic was too much for the Wildcats as they fell 52-36 to the Aces for the second year in a row at the All A Region 3 Finals. The rebounding difference was key in the loss as the Aces pulled down 44 of them, compared to only 24 from the Cats.

Edmonson County was forced out of the paint for much of the game and had trouble connecting on shots as the Aces took advantage of points in the paint, three-point shooting, and forcing turnovers against the Wildcats. The Cats only shot 26% from the field and no one from Edmonson County landed in double figures.

Assistant Coach Bart Weaver said they felt things dramatically shift in the second quarter when the Aces outscored them 20-7 and took a 30-16 at the half.

"It's hard to come back when you dig yourself a hole against a good senior team, and it was just hard to make up ground," he said. 

Weaver also said rebounding and low turnovers were keys going into the game and neither category for strengths for the Cats in this game. 

"They're a good team. My hat goes off to Coach (Tim) Riley, he's a dear friend of mine. You can't take anything away from them."

Logan Minton and Chaz Wilson led the Wildcats with 6 points each, Brayden Carey and J.T. Vincent each added 5, John Potter and Ryan Lindsey had 3 points each, Cole, L. Lindsey, and Decker had 2 points each, and Booker added 1 point.

Edmonson County is now 5-15 on the season and will take on Metcalfe County at home on Tuesday, January 23 in a JV/V game beginning at 5:30pm. The girls' game has been cancelled due to the All A State Classic game scheduled for Wednesday, January 24th.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Senior point guard Peyton Martin scored a career high 33 points against heavily favored Owensboro Catholic Sunday night to lead the Edmonson County Lady Cats to their first-ever "All A" Region 3 title.

The Lady Aces doubled and tripled-teamed leading scorer Caitlin Simon all night long, limiting her to a season-low 11 points. Simon ranks #9 in the state in points per game, at 24.4. Although Simon had trouble getting good looks at the basket, she was able to help in other ways, by dishing out 6 assists, grabbing 4 rebounds, and adding 2 steals, along with hitting four crucial free throws down the stretch.

Owensboro Catholic had three players standing six-feet tall and above, including a 6 foot guard. The size seemed to bother the Lady Cats in the first quarter as Edmonson County was uncomfortable in the paint and missed some opportunities under the basket, but Catholic had some issues with handling the ball and the Lady Cat defense kept the Lady Aces close, trailing 9-8 after the first.

The second quarter saw Edmonson County adjusting to the size difference by kicking the ball out to open shooters behind the three point line. Martin, Simon, and Katlin Collins all connected on threes in the first half.

The Lady Cats were held to only 21 first half points, but managed to pull ahead at the break and led the Lady Aces, 21-18.

The Lady Aces surged in the third quarter as they went on a 10-2 run that gave the them a 28-23 lead. Edmonson County answered with a 10-5 run of their own that was capped off by Martin's two free throws. She was a perfect 9 for 9 for the game, and things were tied at 33 going into the fourth.

Martin scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter and went back to the free throw line on the Lady Cats' next trip, hitting two more. Edmonson County forced another turnover against Catholic and Chanley Logsdon drilled a three to extend their lead to 40-33 with five minutes to go. 

Catholic drew the foul and knocked down a couple free throws but Martin hit back-to-back threes for the Lady Cats as the dagger was thrusted into the hearts of Lady Ace fans. The Lady Cats led 46-37 and would never trail again.

Catholic narrowed the gap to 54-52 on a three pointer with 13.5 seconds remaining, but that would be it for the Lady Aces as Edmonson went on to win, 58-52. Martin and Simon hit their free throws during the final minute of the game and the Lady Cats held on for the first All A Region 3 title in school's history.

Martin talked about her career night.

"Things just kind of went my way I guess you could say. People just stepped up at the right time and hit some huge shots," she said. The consecutive threes for Martin were only 6 of her 25-second half points, none of which were bigger than those.

Martin said the plan is to always look for Simon, but with the stifling defense from Catholic, Edmonson had to turn elsewhere for points and Martin humbly said she was at the right place at the right time.

That may be true, but the ball still has to go in, and the Lady Aces likely grew tired of watching the ball leave Martin's hand and going through the net.

Coach Kevin Jackson also credited Martin for a stellar performance.

"She was unbelievable, and she only had one turnover against this defense," he said. "She had 33 and we needed every one of them. She plays second fiddle sometimes to Caitlin, but Caitlin is an all-American within herself, but when Peyton needs to step up, she can do that as good as anybody. Tonight she had the game of her career and we needed every bit of it."

The win moves the Lady Cats into the All A State Classic which will be held at McBrayer Arena, at Eastern Kentucky University. They are scheduled to take on Monroe County in the first round on Wednesday, January 24 at 5:30pm central, 6:30pm eastern. The Edmonson Voice will have the WildcatsLive crew covering the game with audio and video streams.

The Lady Cats are now 16-3 on the season.

Also scoring for the Lady Cats was Chanley Logsdon with 6, Katlin Collins with 5 points, Emma Vincent had 2, and Lauren Ballance had 1.

ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce has announced that both boys and girls home games against Trinity for Friday, January 19, 2018 have been cancelled, due to weather conditions in Whitesville.

"Trinity has decided that the roads are not good enough to drive on, so tonight's game is postponed," said Pierce in a message to the Edmonson Voice. "We'll make it up at a later date."

The girls are scheduled to take on Frederick Fraize at noon on Saturday in the semifinals of the All A Region 3 Tournament with the boys game set for a 2pm tip. Both games will be broadcast on the Edmonson Voice from the WildcatsLive crew.

Edmonson County Middle School Principal Brandon Prunty has announced that the ECMS boys game against Hancock County that was originally scheduled for Friday, January 19th has been moved to Tuesday, January 23rd. Seventh grade will tip at 5:30pm with eighth grade immediately following.

According to the Twitter account of ECHS A.D. Kyle Pierce, the 2018 Basketball Homecoming originally scheduled for Friday, January 19th against Trinity has been moved to January 23rd against Metcalfe County.

The girl/boy Trinity games scheduled for Friday still remain on the schedule as planned, only homecoming festivities have been rescheduled.

The All A Region 3 Tournament has also been moved to this weekend.

McLean County High School has announced that the All A Region 3 Tournament games have been rescheduled once again, due to winter weather. The games are now set for this coming weekend. Below are the full schedules.

The Edmonson Voice will broadcast both girls and boys games and will livestream the video should either or both teams advance to the finals on Sunday.

Saturday, January 20, 2018
Girls: Frederick Fraize (Home) vs. Edmonson County (Away): 12:00
Boys: Frederick Fraize (Home) vs. Edmonson County (Away): 2:00
Girls: Owensboro Catholic (Home) vs. Hancock County (Away): 4:00
Boys: Owensboro Catholic (Home) vs. Hancock County (Away): 6:00


Sunday, January 21, 2018
Girls Championship: 3:00
Boys Championship: 5:00 or 20 minutes after the conclusion of the girls championship ceremony. 

​

The Region 3 All A Tournament games that were originally set to wrap up on Tuesday, January 15th, were rescheduled due to winter weather. McLean County High School, the host of this year's event, updated the full schedule yesterday that will feature games Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as of now. More snow is forecasted which could potentially change the schedule again, but for now, the bracket below represents the updates.

The Lady Cats will take on Frederick Fraize on Tuesday at 6pm and the boys are scheduled for Wednesday at 6pm, also against Frederick Fraize.

The Edmonson Voice will carry all games from the WildcatsLive broadcast crew. Video streams will be possible should either or both boys' and girls' team reach the finals.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The big comeback win for the Lady Cats would only be the first overtime victory of the night for Edmonson County as the Wildcats' match against McLean County was almost a carbon copy of the girls' contest in a thrilling 70-67 win in overtime.

The Wildcats struggled with their shooting throughout the game and McLean County took advantage of their second chance points opportunities. Like much of the season, Edmonson County was forced to play catch up the entire game. They shot a miserable 21% from the field during the first half.

The Wildcats faced an 11 point deficit as the fourth quarter began but a boost in their defensive effort began to cause some problems for the Cougars. A 20-9 run was capped off by a steal and layup by senior Logan Lindsey to tie the game at 57-57 with just over three minutes to go. It was the first time Edmonson County hadn't trailed in the entire game.

Each team exchanged baskets, turnovers, and free throws when Edmonson County was called for a touch foul with 43.2 seconds remaining. McLean County hit both free throws to regain the lead at 61-60.

Freshman Chaz Wilson drew a foul on a shot attempt with 12 seconds left to go. He tied the score at 61 after making the first, but the second bounced away as McLean rebounded and called timeout to set their final play of regulation. The inbound pass was stolen by Tucker Cole who went behind his back, drove to the left side and dumped the ball down to Wilson. Three McLean County players converged on Wilson, there was no call, and Wilson was unable to shoot before time expired at 61-61.

McLean struggled with hitting shots during the overtime and the Wildcats were able to rebound the misses. After a timeout from Edmonson County, the Wildcats spread the floor and senior Tucker Cole was able to take his man one-on-one straight to the rim for a 66-64 lead. McLean missed on their trip and the ball was rebounded again by the Wildcats. Cole drew the foul and calmly hit two free throws with 50 seconds left to go.

McLean scored on their next attempt with 38 seconds on the clock. After a Cougar timeout, Edmonson inbounded the ball and beat McLean's press as Dalton Decker slipped up the left side of the court, finding Chaz Wilson down low who drew the foul with 21.4 seconds left. Wilson hit both shots to put the Cats up by 4.

McLean drew a foul call on the other end and was able to connect on only one free throw. The Wildcats rebounded the miss on the second attempt and held the ball as time expired.

"The will in them was incredible tonight, especially the second half," Assistant Coach Bart Weaver said. "Our guys fought, fought, and fought. We should've won it in regulation but we missed some free throws and some other things, but you've gotta give 'em even more credit because they just dug in here in the overtime and came out with a win."

Weaver said one of the goals accomplished tonight in the win was a low amount of turnovers, which was only eight total, a season low. 

Dalton Decker led the Cats in scoring with 15 points. Chaz Wilson had 13 points and 7 rebounds, Logan Lindsey had 13 points, Tucker Cole finished with 9, Logan Minton had 6, Ryan Lindsey had 5, Dylan Elmore added 3, and Brayden Carey and J.T. Vincent had 2 each.

The Wildcats are scheduled to play in round 2 on Saturday at 2pm; however, the winter storm will likely postpone that contest. We will pass along schedule updates as they become available.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
After a good start, the Lady Cats struggled all over the court until about three minutes left in regulation. Edmonson County's shooting troubles were widespread and they'd failed to connect on a single three pointer until 2:18 left in the fourth when a series of three of them gave the Lady Cats their first lead since early in the first quarter.

With 2:09 left in the fourth and Edmonson County trailing 39-31, Senior Peyton Martin nailed a three to get the Lady Cats within five. It was only Martin's second field goal of the game, but inched Edmonson County closer than they'd been since early in the game. After missed opportunities from both McLean and Edmonson to score on their next respective possessions, the Lady Cats blocked a McLean County shot and Peyton Martin drilled another three with 1:35 left, with EC trailing 37-39. Edmonson County called timeout to set their defense as McLean would take possession and would be going the length of the court.

McLean attempted a long pass on the inbound, but senior Katlin Collins picked it off and saved it from going out of bounds. The ball was recovered by Peyton Martin who found an open Caitlin Simon who busted the Lady Cats' third consecutive three pointer, which finished off a 9-0 run in less than one minute. It was the first lead  (40-39) for Edmonson County since the first quarter.

McLean was unable to score on the next possession and Edmonson's Lauren Ballance was fouled with 30.6 seconds remaining. She was unable to connect at the free throw line. McLean grabbed the rebound and took it straight to the rim. What first appeared to be a clean strip by Ballance was called a foul from the official and McLean would have an opportunity to regain the lead with 18.6 seconds remaining.

The Lady Cougars tied the score at 40-40 after the first made free throw and Edmonson County called a timeout. McLean missed the second attempt and Edmonson County pulled the rebound with one more attempt to win the game. Caitlin Simon was forced to put up a heavily contested, off-balance shot that missed as the game was extended to overtime.

Edmonson County's defense was key once again in the overtime as McLean County was held to only one field goal as the Lady Cats held on for a 50-43 win.

Coach Kevin Jackson discussed the rollercoaster ride in the comeback win.

"We knew it was going to be physical, aggressive, and all the things we talked about. We watched them on film and knew what to expect, but sometimes girls don't understand the physicality of the game until you get in it, and it looked like it took us three and a half quarters to figure that out," he said. "I'm so proud of these girls and if I had the game ball, I'd give it to my assistant, Tyra Parsley Ballance, who played for me 23 years ago. She kept motivating the kids to keep digging, fighting, and keep clawing. I was about ready to throw in the towel a couple of times, I'm telling you, I was."

While the majority of scoring usually comes from Simon and Martin, each of them struggled until the end of the game. Jackson credited the duo for never giving up, in spite of a very tough shooting night for the pair, and he also praised the rest of the team for filling individual roles as well as providing a team effort from beginning to end. He also continued his thoughts on Coach Tyra Ballance's role in the game from the bench.

​"My game ball goes to Tyra for believing in these kids as much as she does, fighting for them, and getting them to pull. During the timeouts, she was cheering, she was saying 'we can do this.' I was thinking, 'I don't know if we can or not, Tyra...we're down 10 with about 4 minutes to go,' but it just speaks volumes (of our team)."

Simon led the way in offense with 23 points and 7 rebounds, Martin finished with 13 points, Harrison added 6, Vincent had 3, Logsdon and Collins each had 2, and Ballance added 1. 

The Lady Cats are now 15-3 on the season and are scheduled to take on Frederick Fraize in round two on Saturday at 12pm noon. Winter weather is likely to move that game to Monday and we'll have updates as soon as they become available.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Lady Cats took only their third loss of the season at the hands of the Meade County Lady Waves in the inaugural Byrd is the Wyrd Classic on Saturday, January 6th, 72-68.

Meade County burned the nets at ECHS as they shot a blistering 89% from 3-point range (8/9), 68% from 2-point range, and hit 83% of their free throws (10/12). The Lady Waves shot a total of 79% from the floor for the entire game.

"You've got to give credit to Meade County, they shot the lights out," said Coach Kevin Jackson. "It's hard to be in a game when a good team shoots that well."

Jackson said he was proud of the effort put forth by the Lady Cats as they fought back from an eleven-point deficit with about two minutes to go in the game. After a three pointer by Caitlin Simon, a forced turnover on Meade, a three-point play by Simon, another forced turnover, two free throws by Lauren Ballance, and another bucket by Simon, who scored 31 points, the Lady Cats tied the score at 68-all with 50 seconds left to go.

Meade County was able to knock down a basket and draw the foul for a three-point play of their own with 40 seconds left to go, to climb back on top 71-68. The Lady Cats had two good looks at three-pointers during their final possession but neither fell and the Lady Waves went on to win, 72-68.

​In addition to Simon's 31, Peyton Martin added 10, Logsdon and Ballance each added 7, Harrison had 6, Vincent scored 4, and Collins scored 3.

Edmonson County moves to 13-3 on the season and is scheduled to take on Breckinridge County Tuesday, January 9th at home in a JV/V match beginning at 5:30pm. There will be no live stream or broadcast so all Lady Cat fans are encouraged to attend the game in person.

Senior Peyton Martin was named the Edmonson County nominee for the 2018 Byrd is the Word Classic $1000 scholarship which will be awarded to one senior from one of the six participating teams in this year's classic. The winner will be named later by the appointed scholarship committee. The committee will be made up of representatives from each county, including Edmonson, Meade, Monroe, Allen, Grayson, and Muhlenburg.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
​The eleven game losing streak is over. Edmonson County was able to overcome the Trinity Raiders on the road last night to break the longest stretch of losses in recent Wildcat history. After battling a barrage of injuries and inconsistencies, Edmonson County took the floor last night in Whitesville with a full roster, positive energy, and the will to win. Those elements worked together in favor of the Cats as they took care of the Raiders 60-51 for their first win since December 4th and their first win this season in District 12.

The score was tied at 11-11 going into the second quarter but the Wildcats found success with transition baskets and points in the paint as they went on a 12-2 run to end the half. Senior J.T. Vincent, who led the Cats in scoring with 16 points and 7 rebounds, scored 12 of those in the first half to help give Edmonson County a 26-16 lead at halftime.

The Raiders came back in the third with a run of their own, knocking down three 3 pointers in a short span. They cut Edmonson's lead to 34-31 as the quarter ended, as they outscored them 15-8 in the third.

The Wildcats led 48-39 with just under two minutes to go in the game as Trinity began to turn up the defensive pressure with their chances getting slim. Senior Logan Minton buried a three pointer in the corner to put the Wildcats up 51-39, which also snuffed out any comeback attempt for the Raiders. 

"Our game plan was to switch defenses regularly, catch them off guard, and keep them off balance, and I thought we did a good job at that" said Assistant coach Bart Weaver. "I thought we brought energy from the start and we talked about that, and I'm proud how they came out, on the road, in a district opponent's gym."

Weaver said it was obviously good to break the losing streak and "get the monkey off their backs," and that this was hopefully the beginning of a winning streak.

"You have to credit the young guys for stepping up through all our injuries and you have to credit the kids that treated their injuries and have come back. This is a team thing and that's what we preach all the time."

In addition to Vincent, Chaz Wilson scored 11 points, Logan Lindsey had 9, Tucker Cole had 8, Brayden Carey had 6, and Logan Minton and Dalton Decker each had 5 apiece. 

Edmonson County is 3-13 on the season and is scheduled to take on Allen County, Saturday, January 6th with tip off slated for 4pm. 

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Another game, another win, which has been much of the story this season for the Edmonson County Lady Cats, as they tacked on one more last night with a big 62-31 district win over the Trinity Lady Raiders.

While Edmonson's execution was a bit loose during the first half, their ironclad defense began to cause problems for the Lady Raiders in the second quarter as they took a 31-19 lead at the half.

Edmonson outscored Trinity 22-9 in the third, which allowed them to extend their lead to 53-28 going into the fourth. The Lady Raiders scored only three points in the final quarter--12 total in the second half--as the Lady Cats went on to improve to 13-2 on the season and 3-0 in District 12 play.

Edmonson County's only losses on the season have come from #1 ranked defending state champs Mercer County and #6 state-ranked E-town.

Caitlin Simon led the Lady Cats in scoring with 25, as she connected on 4 of 6 from the three-point line. Peyton Martin danced with triple-double figures again, even quadruple-double, with 15 points, 9 assists, 7 steals, and 6 rebounds. Martin needs 107 more points on the season to become #4 on the all-time Lady Cat scoring list, currently held by former Lady Cat and WKU Lady Topper Jennifer Slaughter Bates, who has 1561 points.

Also helping the Lady Cats were Emma Rose Vincent with 8 points, Katlin Collins had 7, Lauren Ballance had 5, and Chanley Logsdon added 2.

The Lady Cats are scheduled to take on Meade County in the very first Byrd Is The Word Classic on Saturday, January 6, at 5:30pm. The live broadcast will be available on the Edmonson Voice beginning around 5:20pm.

Darren Doyle, story:
Local broker and auctioneer Ken Byrd, in conjunction with Edmonson County High School, is bringing the inaugural "Byrd Is The Word Classic" to ECHS on Saturday, January 6, 2018, beginning at 2pm.

The classic will not only feature six area teams including Edmonson County's own Lady Cats, but will also award one student athlete a $1000 scholarship, sponsored by Ken Byrd Realty and Auction, Inc. Each game will also feature "player of the game" presentations as well as one overall MVP for the entire event.

The Monroe County Lady Falcons and The Lady Cougars of Grayson County High School will tip off the first game at 2pm.  At 3:45pm, the Allen County Scottsville Lady Patriots will play The Muhlenberg County Lady Mustangs, and the last game of the Classic will start at 5:30 PM and will feature the host team, the Edmonson County Lady Wildcats and the Meade County Lady Waves.

While similar basketball events are held around the Christmas and New Year's holidays, Ken Byrd said he wanted Edmonson County to host a classic that featured girls only and focused on a scholarship.

"We think it's important to award one deserving student athlete with this $1000 scholarship," said Byrd. "Our scholarship committee will select one senior that will best represent the dedicated effort it takes to become a successful student athlete. This will be available to all qualifying seniors from the six participating teams and the winner will be selected based on academic performance, character, athletics, and dedication to excellence. We are so proud to be part of this first year event and look forward to hosting our neighbors from the area."

Edmonson County now has a record of 11-2, which is currently the best out of all 15 teams in the Third Region. 

Edmonson Voice Sports:
Gather 'round the ol' laptop, kids, and while dad lights his pipe and mom bakes the cookies, let's have some family fun as we watch some Lady Cat and Wildcat Basketball. Well, the pipe and cookies thing probably isn't accurate, but live ECHS basketball will be available for the first time from the Edmonson Voice as our WildcatsLive broadcast crew will stream the second half of each game live on our Facebook page.

This Friday, both the Lady Cats and Wildcats are scheduled to travel to Trinity High School in Whitesville for their third district game of the season with the girls set to tip off at 6pm. The original 5:30 tip was changed just today. 

The video stream will be the first of its kind for ECHS sports and Edmonson Voice owner Darren Doyle said it's one of the new additions the county's local news leader is offering in 2018.

"More people are streaming video each day and some are even replacing their cable and satellite TV with video streaming services," said Doyle. "We understand that our weekly readers and viewers also want local content in video form so we're adding more of that this year, including some ballgame broadcasts."

The video stream will not only include multi-camera angles, but also the audio feed from the WildcatsLive broadcast so that viewers can hear the play-by-play action, led by longtime ECHS broadcaster Jamie Carnes.

"This is brand new technology and it will be our trial run at this feature," said Carnes. "We hope that everything will run smoothly, but please be patient if there are any problems. It may take us a game or two to work out all the kinks."

Second half action of the Lady Cats vs. Trinity Lady Raiders will kick off on the VOICE Facebook page around 6:30pm. Simply visit the page and click the stream. Make sure your sound is on to hear the broadcast. 

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Edmonson County senior Logan Lindsey, the Wildcats' leading scorer returned last night with 18 points after missing several games on the injured list, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Butler County Bears as they fell 67-57 to their district foe. 

Butler County came out of the locker room to begin the third quarter with a 31-25 deficit but quickly turned that around with a 13-0 run that wiped out the Wildcat lead not only for the third, but for good as the stunned Wildcats never recovered.

"We had a good feeling going in at halftime, it was probably the best half of basketball we'd played all season," said Assistant Coach Bart Weaver. "The scary part is, we're only up six and we're playing so well. The difference in the ballgame was the way Butler came out with that energy and passion to start the third quarter and we didn't have it."

The Bears outscored the Wildcats 23-11 during the quarter, took the lead at 33-31, and never looked back as Butler County led the rest of the way.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Edmonson County Lady Cats continued their success last night as they rolled over Butler County 65-16 in their second district win of the season.

Butler County (4-9) had trouble getting the ball over the midcourt stripe under the oppressive defense of the Lady Cats that forced nearly 30 turnovers on the Lady Bears.

"I'm really proud of the kids defensively," said Coach Kevin Jackson. "If you throw out the Mercer County game and E-town game, our defense has been pretty solid all year long. We weren't trying to run the score up here tonight, we played zone the whole second half except for a couple of trips where we tried to get a couple of kids going, but I'm really proud of our defense tonight and our rebounding."

As has been the story of the entire season, the Lady Cat defense led to big transition points, which allowed Edmonson County to enjoy a 39-9 lead at halftime. Butler County scored even fewer points in the second half as the Lady Cats dominated the rest of the game.

Edmonson County was led on offense by Caitlin Simon with 17 points. Sophomore Emma Rose Vincent scored a career-high 16 points and Peyton Martin flirted with triple-double numbers with 12 points, 10 steals, and 7 assists.

Skylar Lewis added 8 points, and Katlin Collins, Chanley Logsdon, and Madison Harrison each added 4 points.

Edmonson County only shot four free throws all night and made 60% of their attempts from the field.

Simon surpassed Madison Rich during the game for the number two spot on the Lady Cat all-time scoring list. Simon currently sits at 2,147 points which is 244 points away from overtaking Stephanie Dennison's record of 2,390 points. Simon currently averages 23.9 points per game which is more than the 18.8 ppg needed to overtake the all time scoring number during the remaining regular season games, assuming Simon remains healthy and eligible for the remainder of the year.

Should Edmonson County win the first game of the district tournament, they would be guaranteed a minimum of two more games, which would lower Simon's points per game average requirement to 15.3 to achieve the all time scoring mark.

The Lady Cats are now 12-2 on the season and are scheduled to travel to Trinity on Friday night for a girl/boy doubleheader with girls' tip off scheduled for 5:30pm. The WildcatsLive crew will not only broadcast the audio stream but will also offer the first live video stream of the game that will be broadcast on the Edmonson Voice's Facebook page.