Joseph Barkoff, story and photos:
​It has been noted in athletic seasons how a team can mature, but more importantly is the ability for those teams to take their learning, often in hard knocks, and then begin to peak.
 
The Edmonson County Wildcats could not have picked a better time to begin that peak and show maturity, than when facing District 12 rival Grayson County in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Boys’ Basketball District Tournament on the road at host Grayson County High School, Tuesday, February 27th in Leitchfield.
 
It was the first game this year the Wildcats have played well from wire to wire against an opponent with a winning record, as was noted by Wildcats Live Edmonson Voice broadcaster Darren Doyle in the pregame show.
 
The replay of the game can be seen on this Edmonson Voice Facebook page.
 
The mood in the broadcast booth may have been all “Lady and the Tramp,” the spaghetti sought was to be found on the court in the form of a controlled swirling melee of aggressive, but reasonably clean basketball play from two hungry teams.

Over the past ten meetings between the Wildcats and Cougars, each team had notched five wins, and this was the third meeting for the two neighbors this season. The two previous matches saw the Cougars win both games, including a 15-0 run to open the game in their meeting a month ago on January 26th in Leitchfield.
 
To be successful, they would need to slow the game tempo down, and stay away from playing into Grayson’s game plan, including a goal of keeping the Cougars at no more than 60 points, Wildcats head coach Trey Tinsley told Doyle before the game.
 
The Wildcats did just that in holding on to defeat the Cougars 61-53 in the KHSAA 12th District round one.
 
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Tinsley said on the Wildcats Live Postgame. “That’s a heck of a win, you know.”
 
Indeed, and yes.
 
The Cougars recently beat the number one team in the region, they are coached well and with a lot of young players they have a bright future ahead of them, Tinsley said.
 
“That’s a good team, but I am proud of our guys,” he said. “We handled the ball, we had our poise and we kept it under 60 tonight.”
 
Edmonson handled the rebounds too, out-rebounding Grayson 29 to 19.
 
They out-shot them as well from the field. The Wildcats shot 52 percent for the night as the Cougars shot 38 percent.
 
“We slowed down the game just enough and hit our free throws late, so I am proud of every single one of ‘em,” Tinsley said.
 
The Cougars average around 70 points a game, he said, so to win they would need to play Edmonson's game, he said.

​“It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row,” junior power forward Wyatt Gravil said after the game outside the locker room. “It really is. We went out there and we had a great game plan, great coaching stuff set up the perfect game plan to get the win tonight.” 
 
One of Kollin Doyle’s 3-pointers, (banked in) giving the team the extra push to get out ahead was his favorite moment on the evening, other than the fans rushing the court, Gravil said.
 
Doyle on the night had 17 points and 4 rebounds with three 3-pointers. 
 
Also in double-digit scoring was sophomore shooting guard junior power forward Tyler Wilson and Joshua Decker with 12 points with 3 rebounds and 11 points and 8 rebounds respectively.
 
Senior power forward Layne Ashley contributed 9 points with 11 rebounds and senior shooting guard Will Alexander tossed in 7 points with 3 rebounds.
 
“Spencer (Langdon) and Jack (Logsdon) are their two best players and the first time we played em, they hurt us pretty bad,” Will Alexander said after the game in the locker room. “Coming into this game we knew that they would underestimate us, and once we came out strong and got on top of them, we won. We shut them two down pretty much and couldn’t be happier.”

It was win or go home. The Wildcats won, so now what?

This Friday, in two or three days, depending on count start, on March 1st on the road, back at District 12 host Grayson County in Leitchfield at 7 p.m. the Wildcats will face off against the number two in the region Butler County Bears (19-8 season, 11-0 region, 7-0 district), although many argue they should be number one. Butler County defeated Trinity last night 100-50.
​
“Friday we are going to be playing a tough Butler County school, if we can do things right and slow it down a little bit, we can stick there with ‘em,” Alexander said. “So, I’m excited, it’s gonna be a fun ride.”
 
It is a nice drive, but the work is not over yet.
 
“We gotta get ready for Butler County,” Tinsley said. “Enjoy the heck outta this one tonight and we gotta get ready tomorrow.”

Joseph Barkoff, story and photos:
​It was their third meeting, third contest, third battle in less than 30 days when Edmonson County Lady Cat basketball traveled to host Grayson County High School to face District 12 rival Butler County Lady Bears in the first round of the Kentucky High School State Athletic Association Girls District 12 Tournament February 26th in Leitchfield.
 
The rubber match for the season. Butler County won their first meeting, Edmonson the second. Both games were decided by a 3 point margin. 
 
Now, the winner moves on to the District Tournament Finals and ultimately the Regional Tournament. Loser goes home, their season over.
 
In the first of two meetings on January 29, the Lady Bears(17-13, 4-4 in district play) were victorious 39-36 against the visiting Lady Cats.
 
The second meeting, on Feb. 9 Edmonson County Lady Cats(21-8, 4-3 in district play) defeated the Lady Bears 43-40 at home.
 
Despite a sea of red in the stands from Edmonson County fans to cheer, the Lady Cats fell to the Lady Bears by another 3-point margin for a second time and the third decided by the same sum. 
 
The final score was 44-41.
 
The game can be viewed on the Edmonson Voice Facebook page and on their YouTube Channel.

​“I told them in the locker room, if they had to play a seven-game series, it would go to seven games,” said Edmonson County head coach Jody Booth after the game. “That’s how close we were. They had an injury, we had an injury. We had kids that can do things, they had kids that can do things. Lexie’s [Belcher] a good coach. They had a good game plan, and I think we had a good game plan.”
 
Both teams came out aggressive on defense and it took almost a minute before the first score of the game. 
 
The series of events began when sophomore center Cariann Williams ripped the ball out of an opponent’s hands to start a fast break to junior guard Jenna Cook.
 
After Cook flew up the court, the ball was passed around once and when it ended back in the hands of Williams she made a move from the top of the key with one dribble into four collapsing defenders and banked in a left-hander for a bucket.
 
“It went back and forth and that’s all you can ask for, especially this time of year,” Booth said. “That’s tournament time and that’s a District game. It’s part of it,” 
 
There were six lead changes in the first quarter and Lady Bears were in the lead 16-10 against the Lady Cats.
 
The Lady Bears lead by as much as 10 points before Lady Cat freshman point guard Shelby Sowders sank a 3-pointer to put the Lady Cats deficit back in single digits.
 
The next offensive possession, Lady Cat junior forward Julie Norris also sank a 3-pointer from the right corner, battling back against the Lady Bear lead.
 
After the first half the score was in favor of Butler County 25 to Edmonson County’s 21.
 
In the second half of the game the Lady Cats would battle back and take the lead but lose it again and fall to the Lady Bears by 3 points, for a second time.

According to the unofficial stats curated by Edmonson Voice Darren Doyle both teams shot 39 percent from the field on the evening.
 
Cook had 11 points with 7 rebounds, both Sowders and Norris had 10 points each with 6 and 3 rebounds, respectively. Williams had 8 points, 9 rebounds and a handful of each blocks and steals.
 
One key in the loss was Butler County’s 8-11 from the free throw line versus Edmonson County 4-8.
 
While there were only 12 turnovers by Edmonson to Butler’s 14. Butler made Edmonson pay for theirs more it seemed, noted Doyle in the post game.

​​“Sometimes you win ‘em, sometimes you lose em, but at the end of the day our girls played hard,” Booth said. “There’s nothing negative I can say about them and we had doubters all year long. And we won 21 games. That’s something to be proud of with just one returning starter.”
 
Edmonson County doesn't often have 20-game winning seasons, in any sport, which is a notable achievement for Booth's first year as head coach.
 
“A lot of offensive production graduated but those girls just stuck with it, came to work every day and we got better.”
 
Indeed.
 
Though the Lady Cats’ season ends not on the note they would have liked, 21-8 overall on the season, 9-4 in Region 3 and 4-3 in District 12 play is nothing at which to scoff.
 
With only one senior graduating this year, next year will have four new seniors from juniors, and two sophomores into juniors and three freshman into sophomores.
 
What does it mean?
 
It means next year they will no longer be considered a young and inexperienced team with a lot of good moments from the previous year to look back and learn from, and even enjoy.
 
“I texted the girls the other night and told them my favorite moment was watching them smile,” Booth said. “Every time that we won or something good happened, and seeing their smiles, it makes it worth it. That’s a whole lot better than wins and losses.”
 
There are more smiles to come. For sure. Probably a few wins too.

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County High School honored four seniors from the Wildcat basketball team Tuesday, February 20, 2024. This year the Wildcats will say goodbye to seniors Chandler Browning, Levi Minton, Will Alexander, and Layne Ashley.

Joseph Barkoff, story and photos:
​It was a milestone night at Edmonson County High School Friday February 16 in Brownsville.
 
Out of the last 11 meetings between the Russellville Lady Panthers and the Edmonson County Lady Cats, it was the 10th defeat for Russellville with Edmonson County outscoring them 69-43.
 
It was win number 20 for Lady Cats head coach Jody Booth. An accomplishment only achieved nine other times. It is his first year as head coach.
 
Sophomore center Cariann Williams broke her own personal best game scoring achievement with 33 points, including 16 rebounds and a handful of blocks in her double-double night.
 
Williams was honored before the game for scoring 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
 
As well, the laundry list of Hall of Fame inductees and their family-sized shopping list of achievements disseminated at halftime, can be found on the Edmonson Voice sports page.
 
The Lady Cats drew first blood on the night and it took the Lady Panthers almost three minutes before they would score their first points on free throws. 
 
The Lady Panthers would not score again until 1:14 was left in the first quarter, but by then it was 15 to 4 in favor of the Lady Cats. 
 
Freshman point guard Shelby Sowders pulled in a rebound and put the ball back in off the glass with 10.4 seconds left in the first, and the quarter would end 17-4 in favor of the Lady Cats.
 
The second quarter was more of the same. The Lady Cats continued their aggressive play, leading by 23 points with 2:00 remaining in the first half, and as much as 27 points with less than a minute to play.
 
The Lady Cats took their 27-point lead into the half ahead of the Lady Panthers 37-10.

​In the second half, Russellville made some adjustments, but mostly tried to bully the Lady Cats bench while they were giving starters like Williams, Sowders, junior guard Jenna Cook, junior forward Julie Norris and senior guard Chaney Browning some time to rest with a comfortable lead.
 
It only worked to some degree, as the bench players gained their confidence, realizing perhaps, the starters were not going to save them. They began to help themselves.
 
Freshman guard Tayla Wilhite had 2 points and muscled in for three rebounds, junior forward Maggie Cassady sank a 3-pointer, and 7th grader Hayley Sanders added 2 points.
 
“The big message to tell the kids at halftime was, we can’t come out and create bad habits because we gotta finish the season next week against an Ohio County team at their place,” Edmonson County head coach Jody Booth said after the game on the Edmonson Voice Live broadcast. “And it’s gonna be a tough game.”
 
On the night, Cook had 11 points with 3 rebounds, Sowders scored 6 and hauled in 8, Norris scored 6 and grabbed 5 and Browning had 5 points and 5 rebounds.
 
Looking ahead to the district and regional tournaments he doesn’t want the bad habits to be carried over into final season play, he said.
 
Into the second half he wanted his girls to come out with energy, be there for teammates, do the right things, defensive rotations, moving the ball on offense and still being aggressive, Booth said.
 
“When you have a big lead it’s easy to let up a little bit,” Booth said.
 
He feels they did let up, to some degree, and feels they aren’t the first team to ever do it, but he also feels the girls kept at it and gave a good effort, he said.
 
Booth thinks his team continues to improve and hopes to continue to get better “until the last day,” he said. 
 
“I hope it’s a while from now,” Booth said.
 
Booth said he knows Williams has room to improve and knows she will put the extra time on to increase the areas she needs to work on.
 
“It’s a huge accomplishment for her to reach those milestones,” Booth said. “Super proud of her. I’m Super proud to be her coach. It’s a blessing to be her coach.”

The final game of the 2023-24 season for the Wildcats is on the road at Ohio County Thursday Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Hartford. Stay tuned to the Edmonson Voice for post season coverage.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Edmonson County Athletic Recognition Committee has announced the first group of nominees that will be inducted into the newly-created Edmonson County Athletic Hall of Fame.  The group showcases a variety of sports across several decades.  Individuals were nominated by the public for the committee’s consideration and selected according to its guidelines.
 
The EC Athletics HOF Class of 2024 are as follows:

• 1965 Wildcat Baseball Team
• Paige Carnes – Lady Cat Softball and Basketball (2009-2014)
• Caitlin Simon Caudill – Lady Cat Basketball, Softball, and Volleyball (2012-2018)
• Chris Meredith – Wildcat Baseball, Football, and Basketball (1984-1988)
• Steve Meredith – Wildcat Baseball (1962-1965)
• Madison Rich Phelps – Lady Cat Basketball and Softball (2009-2014)
• Todd Webb – Wildcat Basketball, Football, and Baseball (1981-1985)
• James “Woody” Woodcock – Lady Cat Softball Coach (1985-2002)

The inductees and their invited guests will attend a private reception in the Edmonson County Middle School cafeteria prior to the girl/boy basketball double-header at ECHS on Friday, February 16, 2024 (5:30 P.M.).  During halftime of the boys’ game that evening, the newest Athletics Hall of Fame Class will also be recognized in Wildcat Alley.

Joseph Barkoff, story and photos:
​They had just met previously the first time this season, 11 days ago to be exact, and the first game one team would be without a key player to them.
 
Region and District rival Butler County Lady Bears traveled to Brownsville face host Edmonson County Lady Cats Friday February, 9th in a rematch of a 3-point loss for the Lady Cats just 11 days ago.
 
Their first in a set of two losses for the Lady Cats after losing team leader, by example, Kennadi Swihart.
 
Swihart isn’t the point scorer, though she does have great nights. She doesn’t get the stats sophomore center Cariann Williams puts up, like a double-double almost every game, (her average) but her laissez-faire demeanor in the face of adversity is contagious.
 
Swihart charged forward and her teammates would never let her go alone. Now without, players like freshman, newly converted point guard, Shelby Sowders helps shoulder more of the charge forward.
 
The conversion is now complete, Lady Cats head coach Jody Booth said of freshman, then, three guard to the point guard player Sowders is now.
 
In the game Friday, Lady Bears would draw first blood on the Lady Cats, but the next series Williams, who might be the worst person to foul for an opponent, is fouled while dropping her shot and converts the 3-point play with her first of 11 free throws on the evening. 
 
Williams converted 10-11 free throws in her double-double of more than half the Lady Cats total points with 22 including, 16 rebounds. 
 
“She was clutch,” Lady Cats head coach Jody Booth said after the game on the Edmonson Voice Live broadcast. “That’s what your best player does. I mean that’s many minutes and hours and everything and days she spends her time in the gym when nobody’s watching, and it pays off.”
 
We never folded and attributed it to their toughness they have shown since Kennadi Swihart went down, he said.
 
“I am proud of all the girls,” Booth said.

​There were at least six lead changes in the first quarter and Edmonson County would hold a 2-point lead heading into the second with the score 13-11 in favor of the Lady Cats over the visiting Lady Bears.
 
The Lady Bears would not go quietly and battled back to take a 4-point lead around two minutes of play in the second.
 
Like a tug-of-war between similarly powered opponents, the Lady Cats would claw back to within 2, to see it fall again away and grow.
 
With 3:07 left in the first half, Butler County was up by their largest lead yet, 7 points. It was 22-15 in favor of the Lady Bears.
 
On the next series, junior forward Julie Norris dropped a 3-pointer from the left side and suddenly, the Lady Cats’ deficit was back down to only 4 points.
 
The next defensive set, Lady Cats denied Lady Bears a score and brought the ball back down to give Sowders 2 points on the left baseline. 
 
Now, the Lady Cats were only down by 2, 22-20 and just over a minute in the first half.
 
After a jump-ball, and possession to Lady Cats, they would tie it up and defend well in the following set.
 
Tied at 22, Sowders charged into her offensive zone, the lane, she shoots. It went off the glass and into the hands of Williams, where Williams with :04.7 shoots a short jumper off her rebound for a score as time ran out in the first half.
 
The Lady Cats were ahead 24-22 at the half against visiting Butler County Lady Bears.
 
The lead would change again in favor of the Lady Bears and reach as much as 4 points with just under four minutes left in the third quarter, it was 28-24.
 
After a spin move by junior forward Maggie Cassady on the baseline under the backboard, the Lady Bear lead was cut to 2 points with around 3:30 now left in the third quarter.
 
By the end of the third quarter it was 30-28 in favor of the visiting Lady Bears, still. 
 
Eight minutes left in the game. The Lady Cats lost by 3 to the same opponent 11 days ago.

​The first points of the fourth were from Williams in the form of two free throws, and now the game was tied again. 30-30.
 
Next, it would be Cassady with a 3-pointer from deep on the left and the Lady Cats went ahead with another lead change.
 
The Lady Bears were not done yet and came back within 1, before Edmonson would pull away ever so slightly, again. It was 35-34 in favor of the home team with less than 3 minutes to play.
 
With the Lady Cats ahead by 2 points with just over 20 seconds, the Lady Bears sunk a 3-pointer and took the lead.
 
It was 40-39 in favor of Butler County with 13.4 seconds left and Booth calls a timeout to draw up an inbound play.
 
Sowders gets the ball. She drives and is knocked out along with the ball, but Lady Cats retain possession.
 
Williams gets the ball this time. She throws her own prayer but draws a foul with :04.5 seconds left. As Williams' teammates run up to her with words of encouragement, with the game on the line, she simply said to them, "I got this." Williams swished the first to tie the score and Butler County called a timeout to ice her down. Out of the timeout, Williams made the second one to give the Lady Cats the lead for good.
 
Edmonson now ahead by 2, and Butler calls a timeout to discuss their inbound with four seconds.
 
Butler would get the ball to their end but Williams intercepted the pass and as she crossed into the Lady Cats offensive area was fouled in the bonus with no time, :0.3 seconds.
 
Williams hit both free throws and the game ended with the pendulum swung three points in favor over Butler.
 
The Lady Cats won 43-40.

​“All the credit goes to them,” Booth said. “I’m just so proud of them. I don’t have many words right now.”
 
He found words. 
 
Credit for the “unsung” he said naming a couple like junior forward Maggie Cassady and the only senior, guard Chaney Browning. 
 
“I’m really glad that we could come back and beat them after they beat us by 3 points at their place,” Browning said. “It was tough, but I am just glad we pulled it out, for sure.”
 
The game was important, Browning said. For seeding in the upcoming District Tournament.
 
“Whoever we end up drawing, we’ll just do our best and battle like we always do.”
 
Next up for Edmonson County is away, Monday Feb. 12th in at 6 p.m. in Glasgow.

Joseph Barkoff, story and photos:
The ​Butler County Bears (15-7) are no joke at 7-0 in their Region and 5-0 in District play in Kentucky High School Athletic Association Boys Basketball and they brought their smooth, fast-paced style of play to Brownsville to meet their host Edmonson County Wildcats (10-13, 3-5, 2-4) Friday, February 9th.
 
Butler County is not flashy. They are aggressive. They are fast. When they pull away it is almost like the Novocain reference from the movie “Remember the Titans” because it is so smooth and without flash.
 
It was 11-0 in favor of the Bears by the time three minutes had almost ticked off the clock in the first quarter before Edmonson County senior shooting guard Will Alexander drove from his top right of the box through the paint with an underhanded scoop off the backboard for their first points of the game.
 
The first quarter ended with freshman point guard Braden Wright getting the ball with :06 seconds left on the inbound. With a spin move reminiscent of Barry Sanders spinning off a tackler to gain momentum, he got to the 3-point line and shot with less than two seconds remaining. 
 
It bounced off the glass, but into the hands of a leaping Wildcats senior power forward Layne Ashley for a perfect put back as time expired.
 
Wildcats were down 28-12.
 
Despite battling back to within 10 points a handful of times, the Wildcats could not break the strangle hold the Bears applied and by the end of the half it was 50-32 in favor of the Bears.
 
“To me that team is the best team in the region,” Wildcats head coach Trey Tinsley said after the game on the Edmonson Voice Live broadcast.
 
Again, there was not an issue of Wildcats effort. They were shooting 56 percent from the field. Butler County was shooting 71 percent, creating a hill that turned out too difficult for the Wildcats to climb.
 
“We know we got to cut down on turnovers and we gotta rebound the ball better, but man, they shot the ball well,” Tinsley said. 
 
The Bears are a “top 10 or top 15” team in Kentucky, Tinsley said.

​After 24 minutes of play, at the end of the third quarter it was 71-50 in favor of the Bears over the Wildcats.
 
By the end of the fourth, despite a break of character in a single-minded pursuit of scoring into the triple digits, the Bears failed in their victory of 97-68 over host Wildcats.
 
“We hope to see them down the road,” Tinsley said. “We just have to keep working, keep competing, keep getting better.”
 
What do you tell your team after a loss like that, Edmonson Voice broadcaster Darren Doyle asked Tinsley in the post-game show.
 
Both coaches and announcers agreed there was no lack of effort on the Wildcats part.
 
Focus on the positives, Tinsley said.
 
He was proud of how they competed and thought they shot the ball well, he said.
 
Looking forward to three of the last four games at home, they want to finish the season out strong, Tinsley said.
 
Alexander had 25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists while shooting 4 for 4 from the free-throw line and connecting on five 3-pointers.
 
Also in double digits scoring was sophomore shooting guard Tyler Wilson with 10 points, junior power forward Wyatt Gravil had 10 points with 5 rebounds and junior shooting guard Kollin Doyle had 10 points with 3 rebounds.

Next the Wildcats travel to play Marion County Tuesday Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. before beginning their final three-game, final games of the season stand Friday Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. against region rival Hancock County.

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County High School's annual Basketball Homecoming was tonight, February 9, 2024 against Butler County in a girl/boy doubleheader. Senior Chaney Browning, daughter of Brian and Heather Browning, was named 2024 Basketball Homecoming Queen. Ms. Browning was escorted by her brother, Chandler Browning.

The Freshman Princess winner was Kylee Williams. Kylee is the daughter of Nick Williams, and was escorted by Owen Ruth, son of Lelia Jones and Adam Ruth.

Lola Bolton, daughter of Andrew and Lindsey Bolton, was named Sophomore Princess. Lola was escorted by Joseph Decker. Joseph is the son of Leslie and Daniel Decker.

Junior Princess winner was Emberlei Stevens, daughter of Jason Stevens and Nancy Hayes. Emberlei was escorted by Levi Meredith, son of Michael and Marsha Meredith.

The attendants representing South Edmonson Elementary School were Cora Decker, daughter of Adam and Kelly Decker. Cora was escorted by James Grant Newkirk, son of Chris Newkirk and Melissa Sanders. Also representing SEES was Ella Ruth Lowe, daughter of Travis and Shannon Lowe. Ella Ruth was escorted by Elliot Parrigan, son of Caleb and Lauren Parrigan.

Helping crown the winners was 2023 Football Queen Carly Burris, daughter of Brandy Burris. Carly was escorted by Caleb Smith, son of Stephen Smith and Tiffany Bell.

Story and photos by Joseph Barkoff:
Edmonson County Lady Cats traveled to Whitesville Friday, February 2nd to play host and district rival Trinity High School.
 
It was their third game without multi-tool junior guard Kennadi Swihart. It was their first win without her.
 
Swihart’s numbers may not reflect the leadership, but there is with simply her presence on the floor. Now, with Swihart on the bench cheering, her team is learning to do it without her.
 
They will have to. Swihart’s MRI confirmed an ACL tear on the patella, and she will undergo surgery.
 
She expects to return to being able to play in six months but in the meantime, she will try to take it easy, she said.
 
Without her infectious confidence and hustle on the court it is a loss, but against the Lady Raiders the rest of the Lady Cats started their steps up.
 
“That’s the main thing is we finally got the job done,” Edmonson County Lady Cats head coach Jody Booth said on the Edmonson Voice Live broadcast after the game. 
 
A key to winning any game is taking care of the basketball and with 18 turnovers in the first half Booth told his players in the locker room at half, the ball handle drills they did all the time in practice had to mean something, because he was tired of pushing it, he said.

​The girls came out in the third quarter and showed they agreed and started to take better care of the ball, Booth said.
 
The Lady Cats outscored Lady Raiders 25-8 in the third quarter with their better ball control.
 
“That’s the ball game,” Booth said.
 
Sometimes you have to tell the girls, you fix it, and they did, he said.
 
“I’m tired and it is up to y’all if you want to do this or not,” Booth told his team at the half.
 
He is proud of them for how they stepped up, he said.
 
Signs the Lady Cats had figured out how to move on without Swihart on the court showed with three Lady Cats being in double digits scoring, and it didn’t all have to rest on the shoulders of sophomore center Cariann Williams. 
 
On Monday's loss, Williams had a triple-double. Against the Lady Raiders, she had 18 points and 7 rebounds with a few blocked shots.
 
Also, in double digits, scoring 11 points were junior guard Jenna Cook and freshman Shelby Sowders. They each had 7 and 6 rebounds respectively.
 
“I am just proud of our girls, I love them to death and they’re just fun to be around,” Booth said.

Due to schedule changes, the Edmonson Lady Cats, as of now, are not scheduled to play until this next Friday at 6 p.m. at home in Brownsville in a rematch of their first loss without Swihart against Butler County. They only lost by 3 points.
  

Story and photos by Joseph Barkoff:
Terminal velocity. 
 
Terminal velocity is “the constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium through which it is falling prevents further acceleration,” as defined by Oxford Dictionary.
 
There is no easier way to explain how Edmonson County Wildcats played on the road against district rival Trinity Raiders Friday, February 2nd in Whitesville.
 
“It was a good team win,” Wildcats head coach Trey Tinsley said after the game on the Edmonson Voice Live broadcast. 

​Edmonson started out slow and smooth, started building a lead, and really never looked back.
 
The team goal was to not allow more than 50 points and the Raiders only scored 52, so that was good, he said.
 
He thinks his team is as good as they are going to be going down the stretch and he likes their chances, Tinsley said.
 
Five different Wildcats hit from deep for three-pointers on the evening. Junior shooting guard Ben Sanders, sophomore shooting guard Blayne Deweese, junior shooting guard Kollin Doyle, junior power forward Joshua Decker, and sophomore shooting guard Tyler Wilson all connected on three-pointers, with Doyle, Wilson, and Decker having more than one.
 
“It just comes down to us hitting shots,” Tinsley said.
 
The Wildcats are 10-11 on their season so far. They are 3-4 in their Region and 2-3 in their District.

Now that it is over, it was the most important game of the year because they are a 3-seed with the win, instead of a 4 going into the end of regular season play, Tinsley said.
 
“It’s a big win for us and we are ready for Metcalfe on Tuesday,” he said.
 
Region 3 Edmonson County (11-10) travels to face Region 4 Metcalfe County (8-12) this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6.

Photos by Joseph Barkoff.