Darren Doyle, story and photo:
The Edmonson County High School girls basketball team will continue postponing games for now due to a positive COVID case on the team, according to ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce.

"We've had a positive COVID case within our varsity girls basketball program," he said. "We will be in quarantine through all of next week. Our girls games with Caverna, Todd County, and Whitesville Trinity have been postponed."

Games for the boys varsity team has also been paused until February 2nd.

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County High School is postponing Friday night's girls varsity basketball game against Grayson County as a precautionary measure, due to possible sickness related to the program.

"Out of precaution, we're postponing our girls varsity game with Grayson County," said ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce. "Our Saturday game with Warren Central was already cancelled."

He said the school is currently waiting on the results of a particular COVID-19 test to determine what will be the course of action over the next few days.

"Our girls will need to remain quarantined until the results have been returned," he said.

On Tuesday the boys varsity team postponed their games until February 2nd due to do at least one active case on the Wildcat team.

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County High School has announced that the ECHS boys Wildcat varsity basketball team will be pausing their season for now, due to a positive COVID-19 case within the team. The break will begin immediately.

"We've had a positive COVID case within our varsity basketball team," said ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce. "Our last date of exposure was Friday, January 22nd."

Pierce said the team will be required to quarantine for 10 days, which will end on February 1st. That will allow the team to resume regular activities the day after. The boys freshmen and JV teams have been quarantining for several days already, but that action hasn't affected the varsity team.

"This will allow us to come back to practice and play on Tuesday, February 2nd," Pierce added. "Our freshman and JV players will resume practice and play starting Friday."

Games scheduled for tonight against Hart County through February 1st (Caverna) will be put on hold for now. No timetable for rescheduling has been confirmed as of now. 

Darren Doyle, story:
It was a thrilling win for the Wildcats on Friday night at ECHS where Edmonson County topped their District 12 foes, The Butler County Bears 65-59 in overtime.

With the Wildcats trailing 52-54, junior guard Trace Taylor tipped-in a missed three-point attempt from senior Jon Smith with 8 seconds to go in the 4th quarter. Butler County was forced to throw up a prayer at the buzzer that was an air ball, which led to overtime.

The Wildcats went into the game knowing that Butler County would be a well-balanced team that would be crashing the boards, would be defensively sound, and could shoot from the perimeter. They also knew effort from the Bears would be top-notch. Their plan was to out-do them in all of that, and their plan worked.

Edmonson County got off to a dandy start, forcing a Butler County timeout leading 12-3. The Bears connected on some early threes to try to work their way back in but the Cats led 17-10 after the first quarter. Jon Smith paced the Wildcats with 12 of his 19 team-high points coming in the first.

The start of the second quarter looked much like the first with the Cats forcing a second Bears timeout, leading 25-13 with 5:14 left in the half. Edmonson County led as much as 14 in the quarter before the Bears cut the Wildcat lead to 29-21 at halftime.

Some timely turnovers from the Wildcats and easy baskets missed allowed Butler County to build some momentum early in the third quarter and cut their deficit to only 2 with 5:47 left in the quarter. The Wildcats put together a 9-2 run to keep a 40-32 lead as the fourth quarter began, thanks to 7 points and an assist from senior Chaz Wilson during the final 2 and a half minutes of the third. 

Butler County then went on a 9-2 run of their own to cut Edmonson's lead to only 1 with just over 5 minutes to go in regulation. The Bears then tied it at 43 and the Wildcats turned it over on the next possession, giving Butler County an easy layup for the first Bears lead since the score was 3-2 in the first minute of the ballgame. Edmonson trailed 47-44 when senior Gavin Rose connected on a three with 2:47 to go to tie the score. 

It would be Rose again with a three, this time with 50 seconds left in the game and the Cats trailing by 2. His big basket would put Edmonson back on top, 52-51. Butler County scored on their next possession to regain the lead 53-52, and with three more fouls to give, the Wildcats put them to use to control the clock. They forced the Bears to the line where Solomon Flener with one out of two shots. The Bears led 54-52 with 17 seconds left, which would bring on the final offensive play for the Wildcats in regulation. Taylor's offensive tip tied the score, forcing the overtime.

Edmonson County never trailed during the overtime and outscored the Bears 9-5 during the period. Jon Smith's three point attempt rattled around and fell in with 1:30, which would prove to be huge. Butler County came within one point, but some key free throws by Rose and Taylor and a turnover in the final seconds from the Bears sealed the fate of Butler County.

"This is our district, this is us, Butler, Grayson, Trinity," said Coach Mike McClintic. "This is the way our games are going to be all year. The kids that got in the game did everything we wanted them to do. I thought we didn't rebound as good in the third and fourth quarters as we did in the first half, and that hurt us. And we had some costly turnovers in the fourth, but the kids battled back and I can't ask any more from them, I mean, good grief."

The Cats had four players in double figures as Jon Smith led the Cats with 19 points and 9 rebounds on (4 threes), Trace Taylor had 17 points, Chaz Wilson had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Gavin Rose had 10 points.

Also scoring for the Cats were Lane Lindsey with 2 points and 5 rebounds and Isaiah Johnson added 2 points. 

The Wildcats are now 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in district play. They are scheduled to travel to Hart County on Tuesday for a JV/V match and then a District 12 rematch against Grayson County as the Cougars travel to ECHS next Friday.

Darren Doyle, story:
After a second quarter deficit, the Wildcats struggled to play catch up the rest of the night as they took their first loss of the season against Grayson County last night on the road, 56-50. 

Both teams looked a bit ragged in the first with several turnovers and missed shots as the scored was tied 8-8 at the end of the quarter. Grayson County found success by pressuring the ball, hitting the boards, and knocking down shots in the second quarter. The Wildcats had 11 turnovers at the half as they trailed 25-18. 

While it wasn't a blowout, Edmonson County was never able to get over the hump as Grayson kept the momentum in their favor throughout the second half. The Wildcats almost got a fire started with a 7-1 run with 2 minutes to go to cut Grayson County's lead to 48-44, but as Edmonson County was forced to foul to try to control the clock and the Cougars were able to hit free throws down the stretch for the win.

Unofficial stats for the game were:

Chaz Wilson 14pts-10 rebounds, Gavin Rose 8pts-2 rebounds, Daniel Woosley 7pts-7rebounds, Trace Taylor 6 pts-8 rebounds, Lane Lindsey 5pts-7 rebounds, Jon Smith 5pts-2 rebounds, Dylan Lindsey 3pts, Cole Saling 1pt.

Edmonson County is now 3-1 on the season and is scheduled to take on Metcalfe County tonight at ECHS in a G/B doubleheader with the girls game beginning at 6pm. The WildcatsLive crew will bring you the live video and audio streams only on the Edmonson Voice. 

Darren Doyle, story: Alyssa Doyle, photos:
At times it wasn't the prettiest, but the Wildcats were able to execute their game plan last night in Whitesville as they defeated the Trinity Raiders 63-47. 

A dominating start set the tone for the rest of the physical game, which is always expected when playing the Raiders. Edmonson County jumped out to a 19-4 lead in the first quarter thanks to their defensive pressure that turned Raider turnovers into Wildcat points.

While the competition would be fairly equal for the remainder of the game, the Raiders couldn't overcome the deficit they saw in the first quarter.

Chaz Wilson scored 15 points and grabbed 15 boards on the night while Daniel Woosley and Gavin Rose added 12 points each for the Wildcats. 

Jon Smith added 9 points, Trace Taylor had 7, Dylan Lindsey and Braden Wall had 3 points each, and Tyler Anderson added 2 points. 

Edmonson County was able to control a 15-point-or-so cushion throughout the rest of the game with three Cats in double figures, while nearly everyone that saw game action got in the scoring book. Every Wildcat notched at least one rebound as well.

Coach Mac discussed the win after the game.

"We played in spurts tonight," he said. "We had good spurts and we had sloppy spurts."

He discussed the defensive effort from his team.

"We've been working on it and we want to continue to do that as much as possible. It was key tonight that we play that type of defense because this was their (Trinity) first game tonight and we knew that if we got after them a little bit, cause some pressure, then it might cause some problems, but it was a typical Trinity team because they didn't quit."

"Everybody knew that these first games in the district were going to be big, so a big win on the road and I'm pleased with that," added McClintic.

Edmonson County is 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in District 12 play. They are set to face Bethlehem High School at home today at 12 noon. There will be no game coverage on the Edmonson Voice today but live video streams will be available for Tuesday's games against Metcalfe County at home in a G/B doubleheader beginning at 6PM. 

Darren Doyle, story: Alyssa Doyle photos:
It took three quarters to really get things moving, but once they did, the Lady Cats did it in a big way as they defeated the Trinity Lady Raiders in Whitesville Friday night 67-42.

Edmonson County outscored Trinity 34-11 in the final quarter to secure the district win, improving to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in district play.

Led by Macie McCombs' 19 points and sophomore Lily Jayne Vincent's 16 points and 16 rebounds, Edmonson County scraped by for three quarters, as the score difference never reached above 6 points; however, the Lady Cats outlasted Trinity down the stretch and the rebounding became much more of a team effort, which snuffed out most all the Lady Raiders' second chance opportunities.

Coach Bart Weaver said it seems like this is a regular thing when coming to Trinity; fighting back-and-forth then getting it done at the end.

"I told them, you do this to me every time we come here. You let them in it, you let them hang around, then you finally take care of business," he said. "All I can say is that they did it again."

Edmonson County led 11-7 after the first and 21-17 at halftime. Trinity refused to go away after a couple of runs by Edmonson County and tied the score at 28 with just over a minute left in the third. Edmonson clung to a 33-31 lead going into the fourth but began to pull away about three minutes into the final quarter. Trinity began to foul towards the end of the contest but Edmonson County was efficient with their free throws to seal the deal. 

Katie Lindsey scored 17 for the Lady Cats while being held to only two points in the first half. She also added 6 assists and 3 rebounds. 

Also scoring for Edmonson County were Hallie Cassady, 7 points-6 rebounds, Paige Wolfe, 5 points, Kaylee Ann Sanders, 3 points. 

Edmonson County is scheduled to take on Monroe County today on the road at 3pm; however, no game coverage is available today on the Edmonson Voice. The next broadcast will be at home against Metcalfe County in a G/B doubleheader on Tuesday, January 19 at 6PM.

​Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Former Grayson County Coach Ed Smart was named Head Football Coach at Edmonson County High School earlier today.

Smart, who was head of the Cougar football program from 2004 to 2019, had a 84-94 career record at Grayson County. He also served as head coach at McLean County from 1997 to 2004. During his coaching career he was also named District Coach of the Year four different times, has 100 total career victories, was a two-time MAC Coach of the Year, and was the winningest coach at Grayson County where he also had the most playoff wins and most winning seasons for the school's football program.

"I'm excited to be here because I played against Edmonson all those years," said Coach Smart. "I know the kids here always played hard and were well disciplined, which are things that I like. I like having more similar teams here because anyone with a good team has a chance to win the district it and that's appealing. They like football here. The administration has been great to me here so far, everyone here has been friendly and I'm excited to get started."

Coach Smart said his duties begin immediately after all the proper documentation is filed and he's going to get guys into the weight room as soon as possible.

ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce, who coached against Smart for years, discussed the high school's decision for the new hire.

"We are excited to hire Coach Smart as our head football coach," he said. "He's a great coach and person and had a great run at Grayson County for 16 years. I was fortunate enough to coach against him for my 12 years here. I always knew it was going to be a battle because he always had his teams well prepared."

Smart's coaching career dates back to 1990, where over the years he also served as assistant football coach at Greenwood, Warren East, Hart County, and at Morehead State, where he served as a grad assistant.

"He just seemed to have most of what we were looking for in a head coach," Pierce said. "He's not only had head coaching experience, but he's had very successful experience at a rural-type school. He's coached our type of kids his whole career, which is important to us.  He's experienced all the ups and down and knows how to handle both. His teams were always well conditioned, strong, disciplined, and they played hard. Plus, he's a great X-and-O type coach that knows how to teach his players."

Pierce said the school had 15-20 people interested in the coaching job, but Smart's name continued coming up in conversations.

"Sometimes in a situation like this, where a guy retires, then comes back to coaching, it's a big deal about the money. That's not been the case here. Not once did he ask about the money. He's asking us about when can he start and when can he work with the kids. That says a lot about him."

Coach Smart described a bit of what football fans will see from the next Wildcat football team.

"We're going to run the ball and we're going to play good defense," he said. "We're going to be physical and we're going to get after people. That's always been my philosophy. You can't control how fast we are or how tall we're going to be, but we can control how strong we're going to be and we're going to be very aggressive. I'm an old-school kind-of-guy where we want to physically beat our opponent." 

He replaces Nathan Smith, who served 5 seasons as Edmonson's head coach, where he had an overall record of 24-29 and won the Class 2A District 3 Championship in 2019. He was also named KFCA District 3 Coach of the Year for the 2020 season. 

Darren Doyle, story: Alyssa Doyle, photos:
The Cloverport Aces were several cards shy of a winning hand in the season opener for Edmonson County's boys in a lopsided 88-21 Wildcat blowout on Monday night in Cloverport. The 67-point win for the Wildcats was the team's largest margin of victory dating back to the beginning of statewide KHSAA digital stats, which was the 1997-98 season. It beats the 54-point victory over London Christian Academy from Canada in 2007 under former head coach Darryl Travis.

The Aces were outmatched in every way last night as the Wildcats forced an array of turnovers for easy buckets. Edmonson County swiped the boards clean with 42 team rebounds. Not only did all Wildcats on the roster get in the game, but all players also scored and pulled at least one rebound. 

Edmonson County established a 26-7 lead after the first quarter and they never looked back. They led 50-9 at the half and were able to keep players fresh, in-and-out of the contest.

The Wildcats were led (unofficially) by senior Chaz Wilson's 17 points and 10 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures were seniors Gavin Rose with 14 points (4 three-pointers), Lane Lindsey with 12 points, and Daniel Woosley with 10 points.

Also scoring for the Cats were: Tyler Anderson 9, Trace Taylor 8, Jon Smith 7, Cole Saling 5, and Dylan Lindsey and Braden Wall with 3 each.

Coach Mike McClintic said he was very pleased with the intense start and the effort throughout the contest.

"At the half we only had 5 turnovers," he said. "They played a zone, but I thought we handled it pretty well and moved the ball well. The best thing I thought about tonight was everyone was so unselfish."

Coach Mac was also pleased with the rebounding effort but said the schedule moving forward would be much more difficult, where rebounding and team play would continue to be essential.

"I'm really happy with the way we looked, but yes, we're going to have to step it up as the season goes on."

Darren Doyle, story: Alyssa Doyle, photos:
It was a good night for basketball in Grayson County last night for the Edmonson County Lady Cats, as they took down their District 12 rival for their first road game of the season, 62-38.

Led by Katie Lindsey's 20 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals, (who sat much of the first half in foul trouble) Edmonson County found success in pushing the ball and executing in transition; both on offense and defense. 

While the Lady Cats couldn't buy a three-point bucket (hitting only 1 out of 16) they were still very effective with their offense by driving the ball in the lane and crashing the boards for second-chance opportunities. Edmonson dominated the rebounding with 47 for the team total, led by sophomore Lily Jayne Vincent's 12 rebound night, in addition to her 8 points. 

While the team had committed 10 turnovers by the half, they were able to take better care of the ball in the second half, which allowed them to cut those turnovers for a game total of 14.

After somewhat of a cold start, Edmonson took the lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They led 29-23 at the half and 44-30 after three. They had amassed a large enough lead to pull their starters near the end of the contest; something that always pleases a coach when you're taking on a district opponent on the road. Coach Bart Weaver credited the win to rebounding and very effective defense.

"When we had all that foul trouble in the first half, we went to a 1-3-1 zone and made them really burn some clock in every possession, and I think that helped. We just stayed with the 1-3-1 during the whole second half," he said. "I thought we did well in the passing lanes. We did gamble some and get some steals, but overall I was proud of our defense."

Coach Weaver said he was also happy with the turnover situation after the first half and the performance of Lindsey in the second half. He also discussed the good rebounding effort from Edmonson County.

"I thought as a whole, we all just went to the glass and you know how proud I am of that," he said. "I've been worried about our rebounding, but that's great."

Senior Shea VanMeter finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Senior Macie McCombs added 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.

The remaining box score was: Emma White 5, Paige Wolfe 2, Hallie Cassady 2 (8 rebounds), Karina Dennison 2.

Edmonson County is 2-1 on the season and 1-0 in District 12 play. They are scheduled to take on Taylor County on the road on Tuesday, January 12th. The Wildcat boys team is scheduled to start their season on Monday, January 11th at Cloverport after a delay due to COVID. The WildcatsLive broadcast team on the Edmonson Voice is scheduled to carry the live game video Monday night, beginning at approximately 5:45.

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The Lady Cats struggled against the defensive pressure of the Owensboro Catholic Lady Aces last night at ECHS in the season basketball opener, which was part of the All "A" Classic. Edmonson County fell 71-41 against Catholic.

A much smaller and younger Edmonson County team than those in recent years past held their own in the rebounding category, although the Lady Aces held a slight advantage; however, turnovers from the Lady Cats (22) were turned into points for Catholic, which proved to be the difference in this game. The Lady Aces only committed 10 turnovers during the contest.

"There's a lot of inexperience on this team," said Head Coach Bart Weaver. "Girls are going to have to learn to step up. You know, it's not a good team to play you when they're going to press you all the time and you're trying to start the season with some new kids in, but we'll keep working and tomorrow's a better day."

While the scoring was mostly handled by three seniors, Katie Lindsey (14pts), Macie McCombs (12pts), and Shea VanMeter (8pts), several underclassmen are taking on roles they haven't faced before. 

Coach Weaver found some positives in the loss with the team effort, as well as VanMeter's 8 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Weaver also was impressed with sophomore Emma White's performance with 2 points and 5 rebounds off the bench in her very first varsity contest.

"Listen, I love my team and I think by mid-season we'll be a lot better team and we'll execute better," he said. 

Also contributing for the Lady Cats were Lily Jayne Vincent (3pts, 5rbs, 3blk), and Hallie Cassady (2pts, 3rbs). 

Kinsley Goetz led the Lady Aces with 13 points; however, all 12 OC players scored in the contest.

Edmonson County shot 38% from the field, 36% from behind the arc, and 44% from the free throw line.

The Lady Cats are scheduled to take on Logan County Tuesday night in a JV/V match beginning at 6PM. The Lady Cougars lost all 5 starters from last year's team. Weaver is hoping to cut down on turnovers against Logan County and is looking for the team's first win of the season.