The ECHS boys and girls basketball games scheduled at Logan County have been cancelled for Tuesday, November 28, 2017 due to main water line break at Logan County High School, according to a tweet from ECHS A.D. Kyle Pierce. 

The games are supposed to be rescheduled at a later date. Both the girls and boys are scheduled to play at Warren East this Friday, Dec 1, at 6pm. 

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Wildcats fell to Breckinridge County 68-64 in the 2017-18 season opener at home on Monday night against a very physical Tiger team, but a great effort gave fans plenty to look forward to as the season progresses. 

Going into the game, Edmonson County knew they'd have to rebound against the much bigger, stronger lineup of the Tigers in order to have a good chance at a win, but it was something that was difficult for the Cats as they were out rebounded 39-25. Breckinridge took advantage of two and three opportunities to score with their offensive rebounding.

Edmonson County started off a bit sluggish, missing their first four attempts from the field and allowing the Tigers to penetrate the paint. They were down 17-13 after the first quarter. After a much better second quarter, the Wildcats fought back and took a 23-21 lead with 4:21 in the half. 

Senior point guard Tucker Cole was able to drive to the rim and kick the ball out and around to open shooters. Post players J.T. Vincent and John Potter were able to connect around the basket as the Cats outscored the Tigers 19-13 and took a 32-30 lead at halftime.

Things flip flopped in the third as Breckinridge pounded the paint, getting to loose balls and scoring on second attempts when Kobe Poole made a rare miss. Poole finished with 31 points. The Tigers went back on top 48-45 going into the fourth.

Once again, the Wildcats scratched back in the fourth as Dylan Elmore connected on two 3-pointers in the quarter while J.T. Vincent and Logan Lindsey found their way to the basket. The Wildcats took a 53-52 lead with just five minutes to go, but they'd get no closer as the Tigers went on to win.

"Our kids played so daggone hard," said Asst. Coach Bart Weaver. "We had the lead there at 53-52, and I felt like we really had a shot right there to open up a little lead, but then we gave up an offense board to Poole and an and-one. That made it from us being up one to down three. It just snowballed from there, but we didn't quit and Elmore hit some big shots down the stretch."

Weaver said although the night ended in a loss, he saw some younger players filling the shoes of the starters gone from last season, which is something that has to happen to put wins on the board. 

Logan Lindsey led the Cats with 18 points, Dylan Elmore finished with 16, Tucker Cole ended with 10, J.T. Vincent had 8, John Potter added 7, Brayden Carey had 3, Ryan Lindsey finished with 2, and Chaz Wilson added one.

The Wildcats are scheduled to travel to Logan County Tuesday night in a girl/boy doubleheader beginning at 6pm. It will be the first game of the season for the Lady Cats. You can listen live to both games right here on EdmonsonVoice.com beginning around 5:45pm. 

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
When evaluating the upcoming Lady Cat basketball season, one can see there was only one senior lost from last year. You have two of not only your top scorers returning, but also possibly two top scorers in the history of Lady Cat basketball. You have a veteran coach of more than 30 years with over 200 wins in not only basketball, but also softball, who was honored as Region Three Girls' Coach of the Year for 2017, and you're coming off a season that produced 23 wins, which were the most in school history. 

With all that in your bag of tricks to get a new season started, the girls are struggling to make sure everyone is healthy before things kick off next Tuesday at Logan County. Four returning varsity players, including three starters are dealing with injuries, including Seniors Caitlin Simon, Skylar Lewis, and Katlin Collins, and sophomore Lauren Ballance.

Lewis hopes to return to regular action next week as she battles a kneecap injury from the summer that has now seemed to cause some quad muscle issues. Ballance is day-today with some lower back problems that she's dealt with for quite some time. Caitlin Simon is seeing a doctor today for some inflammation in her knee that could possibly be the remnant of a volleyball injury that didn't seem like much at the time. More will be determined after being evaluated today. Finally, Katlin Collins took a rough blow to the eye at yesterday's practice as she collided with freshman Emma Woodcock. Her eye was swollen shut before practice ended.

So...assuming that everyone can get healthy as the season begins, let's take a look at what else the Lady Cats are looking for as we begin the season.

"We're hoping to get through these injuries now and move on as we get things rolling next week," said Head Coach Kevin Jackson. "As they say, 'next man up.' These injuries are causing some of our younger players to step up and dig in. We've got some sophomores that are stepping up and they've already got some good experience."

Although they're only sophomores, Emma Rose Vincent and Madison Harrison have been around a while, first coming over to the Lady Cats as 8th graders. Edmonson County will rely on each of their 5'11" frames down in the post. 

Most everyone knows that the bulk of the scoring is expected to come from both Simon and returning guard Peyton Martin. "I can't say enough about those two kids. They bring it night after night, they lead, and they're great on and off the court. We're looking for a big year out of both of them."

Senior starting guard Abby Alexander returns along with junior guard Chanley Logsdon, who also saw plenty of varsity time last season. There are five new freshmen on this year's roster as well. 

Jackson said in 32 years of coaching, this could possibly be the deepest and most talented roster he's seen. Both Simon and Martin have surpassed 1000 career points and Simon is expected to reach the 2000 mark this season.

"We're two players deep at every position and we have some role players that can even play three different spots. Last year we had Collins playing in the post, but she can also play the four spot, even the three. You know, we're really not focused on a starting five right now. It's not who starts, it's who finishes. We've got kids that are willing to fill their roles."

Just like the boys team, Jackson said the five starters are likely to change from one game to another.

"It's about who matches up the best. We may need to rely on one player against a certain team but that might be something completely different on the next game."

With the injuries, Jackson said having to move kids around has made it more difficult to be fluid as a team, but being aggressive and going hard in practice is something he's hoping that will pay off towards the end of the season. 

"Last year didn't end like we'd hoped. We folded up a time or two because maybe we hadn't been tested enough. We've already been through two very tough scrimmages against South Warren and Louisville Mercy. Our kids were thrown to the wolves and I saw a big improvement from the first to the second scrimmage. We have a tough schedule and we're not out to dodge anybody."

Jackson said he feels like the Lady Cats have a legitimate shot not only to win the district title, but also to take a serious run at the region. The Lady Cats have not won a district championship since the 1998 season, also coached by Jackson.

"Two players won't win it for us," he said. "We've got to have five to seven players who can contribute every night and I think we'll be able to go ten or eleven players deep. We'll need leadership but we'll also need our underclassmen, and I think you're going to see that."

The Lady Cats will begin their season on the road Tuesday night, November 28 at Logan County in a girl/boy match beginning at 6pm. The WildcatsLive crew will bring you the action on the Edmonson Voice beginning at 5:45pm.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Edmonson County Wildcats are coming off a great season where they brought home the first district championship in 24 years. The question now becomes, can they reproduce those same results with a team that will see four brand new starters? Head Coach Mike McClintic, better known as Coach Mac, says yes, thanks to eight seniors that are no strangers to the game, but more importantly, playing together.

"These guys are veteran players," said Coach Mac. "They've played together for years, going back to middle school and JV seasons. They know how to play together, so even though we're losing some guys, we still have plenty of positive pieces to build on."

The Wildcats lost their top four scorers and rebounders from last season, and on any given night you were likely to see a different Wildcat, or even multiple players leading the way for Edmonson County.

"We're proud of what we accomplished last year, but we can't live on the past," McClintic added. "That being said, we're using that good feeling to start this season. Our guys want to achieve good things again. I have to keep reminding them that we have a target on our backs. We're still not getting the respect I think we deserve from some of these guys that are making predictions, but that's ok, too."

Last season, both Bowling Green and Owensboro area-based newspapers predicted the Wildcats to finish dead last in district 12. Edmonson County used that to fuel their fire as they eventually cut down the nets in the district finals as champions.

"Our kids are confident, but not cocky, and there's a big difference," he said. "All eight of our seniors have shown great leadership since practice began and they're always ready to help each other."

Coach Mac said his guys are in great shape which will hopefully allow them to use more full court press and very aggressive defense. He said the Wildcats will also hope to score transition points as a result of their defense, and be ready to use a busy motion offense as well. 

The Wildcats' realistic goals for the upcoming season are to improve as the season progresses toward tournaments, have a winning season, win another district championship, and be a serious contender in the regional tournament.

Edmonson County will look to returning senior starter Tucker Cole at the point guard position and will depend on senior returning varsity players Logan Lindsey, Brayden Carey, and J.T. Vincent. You can also expect to see seniors Logan Minton, Ryan Lindsey, John Potter, and Dylan Elmore play larger roles this season. Coach Mac said the starting five will likely be based on nightly matchups and what's needed from game to game. Underclassmen will also see some playing time. McClintic also noted that this year's team will be around 15 players deep, a luxury that the Wildcats don't normally have.

"I'm happy with where our guys are right now. We have to be very good defensively, we have to keep our turnovers to a minimum, and we have to hit our free throws, and we're working hard on all of that. Our kids are very tough, both physically and mentally," he said. 

"This is going to be a fun group of kids to watch this year. We hope that carries over into wins."

The Wildcats are scheduled to take on top-rated Breckinridge County in the season opener at home on Monday, November 27, in a JV/V matchup with JV action beginning at 5:30pm. You can listen to the game live on the Edmonson Voice with the WildcatsLive crew beginning around 6:50pm.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The ECHS golf team held their year end celebration recently at Logan's Roadhouse in Bowling Green.  The team graduates two seniors, Paige Glass and Brett Brannon, but will return 8 letterman next fall. Good food, good times, and reminiscing about the year made for a most enjoyable evening.

Edmonson County High School has announced the 2017-18 season tickets for both boys and girls basketball are now on sale and available to last year's season ticket holders. Season tickets for the rest of the public will become available Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

Prices are $80 per ticket for blue reserved seating and $50 for general admission (bleacher seats). The price includes all boys and girls home basketball games, including all varsity, freshman and JV games, and also includes this season's Rafferty's Caveland Classic and the Ken Byrd Classic.

For more information regarding season tickets or upcoming season info, contact ECHS at 270-597-2151.
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The Edmonson Voice broadcast team is scheduled to carry live broadcasts of 44 games this season that will include an equal mix of boys and girls games, both home and away. Need the schedules? Check them out below. To save a copy to your computer, simply right click and choose "Save image as." If you're using a smart device, hold your finger on the photo and select "Save Image." It's that simple, and just another way we're trying to provide you with all the local info possible.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Edmonson County Wildcat Football season came to an end tonight with 45-0 loss to the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado in Paducah. 

The Wildcats struggled to stop Paducah's running game as the Blue Tornado were explosive on the offensive end. Edmonson County also struggled with a barrage of penalties throughout the game. 

Edmonson County fumbled the ball on their first possession as Paducah recovered on the Wildcats' 12 yard line. The Blue Tornado got on the board early with a touchdown two minutes into the game. Things continued to go Paducah's way as the Wildcats trailed 42-0 at the half.

The Wildcats had a difficult time putting anything together against the overpowering Tilghman team in the second half. The Blue Tornado added a field goal to the score for the final tally.

Coach Nathan Smith said that while the game and the season didn't end as they'd hoped, he had nothing but admiration for his team, especially the seniors.

"We struggled from the start, with the fumble there on our first series, it was hard for us to get started. Really, we just never got started. But our seniors did everything they could to keep us going. They fought hard, they never quit, never gave up. These boys have been playing for me for a long time and I'm just proud of them. They're good young men and they're going to do great things outside of football. I know it feels like the end for them right now, but you know, they're just getting started. They got plenty of good things ahead of them."

​The Wildcats finish the season at 6-5 as they say goodbye to 12 seniors: Brayden Carey, Logan Lindsey, Tucker Cole, Chase Elkins, Zack Farmer, Alex Martinez, Gary Dale Porter, Chandler Jones, Dylan Vincent, Adam Rich, Brett Brannon, and Tyler Cherry.

The Lady Cat and Wildcat Basketball teams at ECHS will hold inter-squad scrimmages this Saturday, November 4th at the high school, which is just over three weeks away from each of their opening seasons.

The boys are scheduled to play from 10am - 11:30am while the girls will follow from 11:30am - 1pm.

The event is free and will allow fans and spectators to check out both teams for the upcoming 2017-18 season.